Ride Ten Thousand Days and Nights
by justawriter33
Summary: Howl's Moving Castle from Howl's point of view. I do not own any characters, thank you very much. Book by Dianna Wynne Jones
1. In which Howl gets a new Cleaning Lady

*****Author's note*****

**I do not own any of the following charecters:**

**Howl**

**Michael **

**Sophie**

**And most of the dialogue is not mine, it rightfully belongs to Dianna Wynne Jones. **

**If you have not read Howl's Moving Castle-**

**STOP READING THIS!**

**Spoilers. **

Howl walked outside with Michael in tow.

"Right, so you can go and do whatever you like, while I shall, um," Howl eyed all of the women walking in the streets, "Enjoy myself."

"We don't need more aunts," Michael said glumly.

"Right," Howl said dreamily.

As Michael walked off, Howl leaned against the wall. Someone caught his eye.

A young girl, with reddish, straw-colored hair was edging along the wall, eyeing the crowd with a terrified look. She was dressed in plain, gray clothes, which had caught his eye at first. She looked so pitiful, like a mouse, that Howl immediately went over. To his surprise, she shrank into a doorway, trying to hide.

Howl looked down at her. "It's all right, you little gray mouse," Howl said, laughing. This made her look even more terrified. "I only want to buy you a drink. Don't look so scared."

The girl looked ashamed. "Oh, no thank you, if you please, sir," she stammered. Howl thought that she had a rather lovely voice. "I-I'm on my way to see my sister."

"Then by all means do!" Howl said. She didn't look quite as scared anymore, but still had big eyes. "Who am I to keep a pretty lady from her sister? Would you like me to go with you, because you seem so scared?"

The young lady looked even more ashamed. "No. No thank you sir!" she gasped and fled. Howl reached out his hand and frowned.

"That's a first," he said to himself. "I never have seen someone that ran away from me."

Since it seemed a little rude to follow the lady, he just walked on, puzzling. Eventually, he found more people to accost, but his mind always returned to her.

When Howl walked in one day, he came across a puzzling scene.

An old lady was cooking on Calcifer.

"Don't be silly. And hold still, because I want to break in the eggs," she said, frowning with her wrinkled face at Calcifer. That, in itself was odd, Howl mused. Most people either didn't see Calcifer, or were scared stiff of him.

"Oh, hello Howl," Michael said when he saw him.

The old lady turned, rather hurriedly, to Howl, who stared at her. He had just come back from courting his dear Lettie, who was by far one of the most beautiful ladies that he had ever seen, and something about this old woman's face reminded him of her. But the oddest thing was that this old lady seemed to be wearing a charm on her.

As he asked her if he had seen her before, and she quickly denied it, the look of shock and surprise on her face made him suspicious.

"She says her name's Sophie," Michael said. "She came last night."

"How on earth did she make Calcifer bend down?" Howl said, feeling quite confused.

"She bullied me!" Calcifer said, his voice muffled.


	2. In which Sophie makes everyone miserable

After Calcifer declared that Sophie, as Michael called her, had bullied him, Howl was considerably surprised. The old lady seemed capable of bullying, but when he squinted with both eyes until they nearly closed, he was able to peel away some of the enchantments surrounding Sophie.

For a minute, he saw pale skin and a slender girl with a mane of- gold? red?- hair and big eyes that were something blueish. He smiled to himself inwardly.

As he firmly pushed the new cleaning lady aside, he asked her to pass him eggs and bacon. As she passed him them, he could feel her staring at him. This felt like one of the Witch of the Waste's spells, that powerful and obvious.

Sophie was a very nosy woman or girl. While they were eating, she kept on asking questions, getting frustrated when she got no answers. She reminded him of Megan, Howl thought. The same strong will.

"There isn't any more of the castle," Michael said in response to her questions about the castle, "expect what you've seen and two bedrooms upstairs."

"What!" Sophie said.

Howl roared with laughter. She was the new cleaning woman; she ought to be happy that she didn't have to clean as much. Yet, she looked dismayed and curious at the same time, and her cheeks were flushing. How odd, Howl reflected, staring at that blush, that such an old woman was able to blush.

There was a knock at the door and Calcifer surged up. "Kingsbury door!" he cried.

Howl stood up and opened the door, red mark downward, so that it opened to the right place. The king's servant held out a chinking silk purse full of money-Howl's eyes glowed at that-and nodded. Out of the corner of Howl's eye, he could see Sophie looking curiously outside. What a curious young girl! For even though she still wore the charm as a disguise, her mind was still a young woman, maybe in her eighteens?

Howl frowned. He was still searching for his lovely red-haired mouse with her shy eyes and her pretty face. He took the purse, seeing Michael's eyes follow it. Why did everyone expect him to spend everything on himself. He eyed the money. But it would buy a handsome new suit. Maybe something gold and...um...green! Yes!

He headed straight to the bathroom door, calling out an order to Calcifer for hot water! Very hot! and then took a long, hot shower.

He was loss in himself for ages.

When Howl came out, he immediately backed right in.

Sophie was hard at work, which meant that everyone was in hell. She was swiping the cobwebs off the roof. Howl felt a rush of annoyance at the old lady, young woman, whoever she was!

"Stop it woman!" he said. "Leave those poor spiders alone!"

"These cobwebs are a disgrace!" Sophie said, clearly annoyed by the interruption.

"Then get them down and leave the spiders alone," Howl said calmly.

"They'll only make more webs," Sophie said warningly.

"And kill flies, which is very useful," Howl said nobly.

As Howl walked across the room, he warned Sophie not to kill a single spider while he was away.

The last thing he heard before he left the room was Sophie giving a wordless grump of rage.

Howl traveled to Ms. Fairfax's with his boots, landing in front of it. He knocked and Ms. Fairfax opened the door.

"Howell!" Ms. Fairfax said. "Lettie's out in the back, feel free to talk to her."

As Howl walked casually to the back, he saw Lettie sitting on a bench reading a book. For a minute, he just sat there, looking at her.

Lettie's long black hair swung in glossy curls past her shoulders and her dark blue eyes were intent on the book that she was reading. She looked up and saw Howl, and the serene expression on her face that was formally there disappeared and her face twisted into a frown. "Howl," she said, but it was no greeting.

"My love," Howl said dramatically. "How are you?"

Lettie scowled. "I told you, I am not your love."

Howl frowned. "Maybe not for you, but definitely for me."

Lettie closed her book with a snap. "Why do you keep coming, Howl?" she said despairingly.

"Because I am utterly infatuated with you," Howl said dramatically, holding his hand to his empty chest and wishing that he could feel a heart thumping there.

"Yeah right," Lettie said. "I've heard the stories about you. You suck the souls out of girls and gnaw on their hearts."

Howl laughed. He hadn't realized that Michael's rumor had gone that far. "Love, let me assure you, I have never sucked out a soul. That would be cruel."

"And you're not?" Lettie said disbelievingly. Howl felt hurt. "Leave, Howl. Please, leave."

Howl left, feeling very discontented.

When he came back, it was near evening, and Sophie was sitting in her chair, looking grumpy and stubborn. Micheal dragged him aside.

"Terrible old biddy, she is!" Micheal said furiously. "She's ruining our lives with her incessant cleaning! You've got to stop her, Howl!" The last sentence was more of a plea. And he kept on ranting on. Howl smiled through all of it.

Calcifer would occasionally yell something else about Sophie.

But all Howl would say when Micheal was through was, "Did she kill any spiders?"

"Of course not!" Sophie snapped, looking very irritated. "They look at me and they run for their lives. What are they? All the girls whose hearts you ate?"

Howl felt affronted, but he didn't let it show. Beside, it was probably what she intended him to do. "No, just simple spiders," he said, trying to sound dreamy, and drifted off to his bedroom, where he fought not to slam the door.

That night, he woke up by Calcifer's urgent whisper.

"Howl!"

Howl woke up clutching at his throbbing chest. He cursed Calcifer soundly and then tiptoed downstairs, casting a small spell to keep everyone asleep other than Calcifer and him.

"Why are you keeping me awake at this unholy hour?" Howl asked, or rather demanded.

"Sophie's trying to break our enchantment," Calcifer said seriously.

"And you woke me up from my beauty sleep because of this?" Howl asked disbelievingly.

"Hmph," Calcifer said, looking insulted. "I thought that you might be interested, seeing as you didn't even know that she was a witch.

"She is?" Howl asked, feeling confused.

"Yes, you idiot. She is." Calcifer glared Howl. "And the witch has shortened her life span by about sixty years, thank you very much. She hates you, by the way."

"I hadn't noticed," Howl said dryly. "Thank you for bringing my mood down."

"As if it wasn't already." Calcifer leaned forward. "You've got to take the spell off," he said urgently.

"Since when did you feel so compassionate about Sophie?" Howl asked suspiciously.

"Since when did you care?" Calcifer retorted. "That's all. Go back to your room, Sleeping Beauty."

"Are you sure there's nothing else? Are you sure that she absolutely hates me?" Howl asked urgently. "I never met a woman who hated me before."

"You never met a woman that's the sister of someone you're courting," Calcifer said sullenly.

"What does that mean?" Howl asked, wrinkling his nose.

Calcifer looked like he wanted to swallow his purple tongue. "Nothing. Go back to sleep." With not even a biting insult, he plunged down into his logs.

Howl scratched his head. "You confuse me," he said to the wisp of smoke floating above the logs. He went upstairs and drifted back into his wonderful dreams of Lettie.


	3. In which Sophie targets Howl

**Author's Note:**

**I don't own most of the dialogue from Howl. That is owned by Dianna Wynne Jones. **

**Ingary is not mine. **

**Calcifer is not mine. **

**Mari is not mine. **

**However, a few of MY charecters are coming in the next chapter. (Mwa ha ha)**

In the days that followed, Howl went out to the king's castle, talking to the king about dreary and bothersome stuff that he would rather not do. In the evenings, when he came back, the house was always a little cleaner and a little brighter. And lighter. Calcifer began to have no trouble at all with moving the castle.

The pantry began to be well stocked with food, although they mostly had bacon and eggs for breakfast, and Howl wouldn't dare admit it in front of Calcifer, who would surely tease him about it for the rest of his life, but it was a relief to look in the bathroom mirror and see himself, instead of a pale blob with yellow hair. He just wished and hoped that she didn't mess around with his cosmetics. Especially his hair dye.

Slowly, day by day, he observed as she cleaned remorselessly through the living room, the kitchen, even the bench and Michael's room. Calcifer was nearly swamped then, as Howl entered the room.

He knew that he would be next.

She whitewashed her cubbyhole, the ceiling and the walls. It rained for the next two days in Porthaven, and since Howl was fairly sure that Lettie had forgotten about him, he went back.

When he went to Lettie's house, Lettie was in her room, and there was a dog.

That dog was fierce, mangy and impolite. Uncouth. Everything that Howl hated in a dog. It kept on trying to bite him, which Howl found irritating, and Lettie didn't seem to mind. The second Howl stepped forth in the yard, a golden retriever attacked him.

"Oh, bad dog!" Lettie said, but she didn't seem like she meant it. "Perhaps you better go home, Howl."

Her almost-friendly voice encouraged Howl instead of discouraging him. "No, my love. I find that I should stay here, in spite of this...dog." In mind, he was thinking of a much ruder word.

"Oh, no, I insist that you leave! It wouldn't do much good to have you riddled with holes," Lettie said. She seemed to be trying to be friendly and Ms. Fairfax, who was sweet and kind, even came and insisted that Howl leave.

"I rather that you be here, truly, but I fear that this dog will start trampling my rosebushes if you don't leave!" she said. Her butter-colored coils of hair were straggling around her face in small curls, and Ms. Fairfax was looking very harried.

"As you wish, madame," Howl said courteously. But he hesitated as he left and overheard Lettie saying:

"I do wish that he would stop coming. How can I tell him that I don't love him without hurting him?" Lettie said, sounding desperate.

Howl was tempted to wheel right back around and say that she already did, but instead, he steeled himself and sped away.

"What happened in here?" Howl asked when he came back. "It seems much lighter."

"Sophie," Michael responded, sounding utterly glum.

"I should've known," Howl said, feeling a bit light hearted despite the fact that Lettie had utterly jilted him. Then he disappeared in the bathroom for an hour and a half, pondering what could have repulsed Lettie so much.

It was drizzling the next day when Howl woke up and he looked out his window. Mari was outside and laughing, screaming really, running around the house. Mari was his little niece, and he fancied the idea of having his own little Mari.

"Yes, yes that would be nice," he mused.

He knew that since today, Sophie would be either cleaning the yard or his room. It was raining, so he picked his room.

Closing his eyes, Howl sent out a projection of him. The projection walked outside (he tired very hard to make it look dreamy) and declined food. The projection then disappeared into the bathroom (he had to open the door) for two hours and then came out. The projection Howl had to shake off Michael without actually touching him, and then went to the door and stopped.

Howl frowned. He hadn't actually figured out this part.

Calcifer, crackling with laughter, opened the door for him and the projection headed out smartly. Howl leaned against the doorknob and waited.

Presently, Sophie came up. Her face was open, full of surprise and horror when she saw him there.

"No, you don't," Howl said, striving to sound pleasant. "I want it dirty, thank you."

"Where did you come from? I saw you go out!" Sophie said, looking shocked.

"I meant you to," Howl said, giving a secret smile at the thought of a projection. He had to teach Michael that. Of course, whatever happened to the projection happened to him, so he was looking picture perfect. "I am a wizard, you know. Didn't you think that I could do magic?"

Sophie was looking hostile now, and a little embarrassed. She berated and had the nosiness to look around him, which made Howl a fair bit indignant.

"Uh-uh. Don't be nosy," he said cheerfully.

As Sophie protested that she was not nosy, and he told her that she was indeed, Sophie stormed away in a huff and Howl smiled. The smile disappeared when he heard a clanking coming from the yard.

"Damn woman," Howl cursed and cast a transporting spell.

He appeared in the middle of a large sheet of rusty iron to see Sophie sorting through piles of his rubbish. "Not here either," he said sternly.

"Tidying up is what I'm _here_ for!" Sophie had the nerve to shout at Howl.

Howl was indignant. He was a wizard, for heaven's sake! She had the impudence to _shout_ at him? He started to yell at her in a very calm voice and was trying not to get angry. She knew that he was trying not to get angry and used it against him. As he headed her to the door, his long sleeve ripped and he cursed.

Instead of looking offended, Sophie proudly held up her chin and offered to mend it for him.

Howl was still annoyed by her, so he showed her a paltry trick for a wizard of his superbness. He mended his sleeve.

Sophie went back inside, looking chastened. "Why didn't he turn me out?" she asked Michael, much to Howl's amusement, who could hear her from outside.

"It beats me," said Michael. "But I think he goes by Calcifer. Most people who come in here either don't notice Calcifer or they're scared stiff of him."

Calcifer added to that with a low laugh.

Howl stood outside and took a large sheet of metal and snapped his fingers. The picture of Sophie appeared in it. He snapped his fingers again and started to chant a long word and the charm began to peel away from Sophie. Sophie suspiciously looked around and adjusted her shawl. The charm snapped back and the picture faded.

"Why does she wear the charm?" Howl mused. "Why?"


	4. In which Howl has a green slime fit

**~Author's note**

**This is personally one of my favorite chapters in Howl's Moving Castle. Don't worry, Sophie has a green slime fit later on, but boy, this chapter was fun!**

**I hope to finish this fanfic in three months. Pleas R&R!**

**Luvvie, **

**The author.**

Howl didn't go out for a few more days, still thinking about Lettie.

"Did the girl give in?" Michael asked bluntly.

Howl pondered if he should answer or not. "A heart of stone. That's a new spell, Micheal, I don't believe that you've learned it yet."

Micheal gave an exasperated sigh.

Howl was busy in order to hide his discontent. First, Lettie didn't love him for some reason, and secondly, the king was on the verge of making Howl the second Royal Wizard, after Wizard Suliman.

At the bench, Howl enchanted things to fly, to scamper across the floor and even enchanted Sophie's needle and thread to weave a merry pattern on the thing that she was mending, and then unpicked itself. She laughed that time, and her rheumy eyes brightened. Howl was determined to make her laugh again.

Calcifer looked down at Howl's heart and was pleasantly surprised and evilly happy to see that it had enlarged. Another thing to tease Howl about.

An overdressed and over scented messenger from the king came, his powdered wig bouncing. Howl frowned. Did they have powdered wigs? Oh yes, some of them did, but most didn't. The messenger also came with an order from the king, which Howl said no to. But then he saw that Sophie was watching so he made his no wonderfully polite and long winded. Unfortunately, the messenger also came with a threat from the king. If he didn't do it, he would be Royal Wizard no. #2.

When Howl was finally certain that Lettie had forgotten entirely about him, he decided to head out. Beside, staying in the castle with the sarcastic and irritating, but lovable Sophie was getting on his nerves.

When he headed out, a young girl blocked his way.

"Hello, Howell," she purred. Her long blond hair was tied in two pigtails, making her appear sweet, but the voice was definitely the Witch of the Waste's.

"Hello, Fiara," Howl said cheerily. "Now-" His voice darkened, "-why are you here?"

"It's interesting, the fact that you're falling in love with a girl that _I_ enchanted. No worries, she can't tell anyone about the enchantment"

Howl glared at the girl. "Why did you do that to her?"

"Because someone that I had formerly known, knew her. I don't like competition, Howell, and I don't like you." Fiara disappeared.

"Chilly," Howl remarked and swung up his guitar. It was silly, carting around that guitar whenever he wanted to see Lettie, but ladies like music. Unfortunately, he was an unmusical Welshman, but no one except for himself knew that, unless Calcifer told them. And if Calcifer did, he was dead.

Howl went to see the king and then when he came back, decided to see Lettie.

Lettie was talking to a girl with long brown hair and big gray eyes, with an attractive face that was nevertheless, plain compared to Lettie's exotic looks. "Carrie, this is Howl," Lettie said. "Howl, this is Carrie." She sounded less than excited when she introduced them, and she looked upon Howl with a look of distaste.

"Hello, fair, sweet Carrie. Is that short for Caroline?" Howl asked.

"No, it isn't," Carrie said and giggled. Howl instantly disliked her nasal voice. "But thank you. No one has ever thought that I might have a full name."

Howl courted Lettie for half an hour before a toy poodle attacked him and he left with a bite mark in his silver and blue suit. Sophie was mending his gray and red one, which was not his favorite.

The next day, Howl got jilted again.

"It's not that I don't like you," Lettie said uncomfortably. "But my heart belongs to someone else."

It felt like someone had shattered Howl's chest, yet he forced a smile. "Then I bade you farewell until next time, my dear Lettie," he said in a casual voice and went home. Ugh. No wonder Lettie didn't love him. A millimeter of his black hair roots were showing.

"Hot water in the bathroom," Howl said moodily.

Calcifer drew up the hot water and sent it to the bathroom, where Howl tinted his hair again. But he looked into the mirror and squinted and his eyes grew wide. His hair was not flaxen, or ashy blond, or golden. It was pink! How outrageous! How barbaric! How...Sophie.

Howl stormed out of the bathroom feeling very hurt. Why did Sophie do this to him?

"LOOK AT THIS!" he shouted, wailing with despair. "What has that one woman force of chaos done to these spells?" Howl said, feeling satisfied as Michael and Sophie whirled around with looks of dread on their faces.

"If you mean me-" Sophie started. Howl felt a surge of irritation.

"I _do_ mean you! Look!" Howl shrieked. He sat down with a thump on a stool and bent over so they could see the pinkness of his hair.

"I think it's very nice," Sophie said softly.

"NICE!" screamed Howl passionately. "You would! You did it on purpose! You couldn't have rested until you made me miserable too! Look at it! It's _ginger_! I shall have to _hide_ until it's grown out!" He spread his arms out. "Despair! Anguish! Horror!"

He made screaming things follow Sophie and Michael out of the room, while Calcifer screamed at him to stop, he's going to put him out. But Howl was too sad to think about it.

Lettie would _never_ love him now. All because of Sophie. And Sophie hated him dearly. How depressing. No one loved him and his mother was dead! Megan was too cruel and he wished dearly that he had a Mari to comfort him. The spell covered him with green slime and he filled with despair. Green slime covered the room that Sophie had painstakingly cleaned. Good. She hated him, he would strike back. Oh, Lettie, Lettie, Lettie!

Calcifer was a cinder in the fireplace.

Sophie and Michael stormed into the house. Sophie's mouth fell open as she saw the slime and Michael's eyes fell on Howl with a look of horror.

"Save me!" Calcifer cried.. "This stuff is going to put me out!"

Sophie marched toward Howl, who could hear her footsteps. "Stop it!" she said. Howl smiled inwardly. "You are behaving just like a _baby_!"

"Is he dead?" Micheal asked, sounding horrified.

"No, he isn't," Sophie said dramatically, and Howl smiled under all of the slime, amused in spite of himself. Micheal and Sophie both pushed Howl into the bathroom, where Howl watched, curious in spite of himself. Instead of persuading him to take a shower, they just shoved him into the shower, clothes, chair and all. There, hot water scrubbed the slime off of Howl and Sophie marched out while Michael persuaded Howl to change. Finally, Howl came out with Micheal, clothed in the gray and scarlet robe.

"That was plain stupid!" Calcifer sputtered. Howl stared at him tragically. "Were you trying to get rid of the best part of your magic or something?"

To Howl's surprise and happiness, Sophie interjected that he was just having a tantrum. Of course, that wasn't a very nice way to describe him, but it was fairly correct. She shoved warm milk (in a cup of course) into Howl's hand and ordered that he drink. He drank.

"Now, what was all this fuss about?" Sophie asked crossly. The slime had been swept out of the moving castle. "That lady?"

"Yes," Howl said dolefully. How did she guess? And he wasn't going to tell her that she was partly the reason as well. "I left her along to see if that would make her remember me fondly. It hasn't. She tells me that there's another fellow."

Sophie looked sympathetic. Good for her, Howl thought. "She's the most beautiful girl there ever was in these parts," Howl went on. "I love her, but she scorns my deep devotion and gets sorry for another fellow." Howl got angry. "How _can_ she have another fellow after I gave her so much attention? They usually get rid of everyone else as soon as I come along." Howl peeked at Sophie from the corner of his eyes and saw that she looked unimpressed and even angry now.

"Then feed her a love potion or something," Sophie snapped at him. Howl smiled into his milk. Time to give her a kick. Two kicks.

"Oh no, that's not playing the game. That would spoil all the fun," Howl said petulantly.

"A game, is it?" Sophie said, looking furious now. "Don't you ever give the poor girl a though?"

Howl finished the milk. He smiled again. "I think of her all the time." Kick number two. "Lovely, lovely, Lettie Hatter."

Sophie looked shocked and confused, which made Howl a bit happier. So he bade them good night and fell asleep until Calcifer woke him up again.

"Ugh," Howl groaned and clutched at his chest. Calcifer crackled with laughter. "Why did you wake me up?"

"Cause I wanted to," Calcifer said evilly. "No, actually, I need to talk to you."

"Why couldn't this wait until tomorrow?" Howl asked, checking his eyes in the mirror. Lucky for him, they weren't circled.

"Because, I want to know why your heart grew," Calcifer said evilly again.

Howl's sleepy eyes jolted wide open. "WHAT?"

Sophie gave a groan from her cubbyhole.

Howl cast a spell to keep everyone asleep. "WHAT?"

"Whenever you look at Sophie, your heart grows and you made pathetic attempts to talk," Calcifer said wickedly. "You look at her whenever she's in the room and when you're with Lettie, you think that she can't hold a fig against Sophie. Whatsoever, you are still in love with Sophie although she is old, so you're in love!"

"Go back to sleep, bozo," Howl muttered and staggered upstairs, releasing the charm.

But Calcifer had given him a lot to think about.

"Curse you Calcifer," Howl muttered. "I hate you."

"I know that," Calcifer said cheerfully. "Does Sophie?"

**Whew! That was _fun!_**

**_Love, Author_**


	5. In which Calcifer nearly goes out

**This is Author here. **

**Just saying, most of the dialogue is from Howl's Moving Castle BUY THE BOOK !**

**This fanfic is NOT based on the movie. **

**Luve=**

**me!**

When Howl woke up the next morning, he felt positively rejuvenated.

As he primped and groomed himself, he decided that his hair looked rather good pinkish. It matched his suit. He started singing an old welsh song and heard Sophie grump outside.

Once he was finished, he went outside to see Sophie tiptoeing toward the door. "I think my hair looks rather good this color," he mused.

"Do you indeed," Sophie said sarcastically.

"It goes with the suit," Howl said. Couldn't the woman see that he was trying to be kind? "You have quite a touch with your needle, don't you. You've given the suit more style somehow."

"Huh!" Sophie said. Howl could feel her eyes following his every move as he walked to the door with his guitar.

"Aches and pains troubling you?" he asked kindly. Then he resorted to the more likely solution. "Or has something annoyed you?"

"Annoyed?" said Sophie. "Why should I be annoyed? Someone only filled the castle with rotten aspic, deafened everyone in Porthaven, and scared Calcifer to a cinder. And broke a few hundred hearts along the way."

"I apologize," Howl said and laughed. It was funny in an insulting way. He opened the door to Kingsbury and walked away. Afterward, he would see Lettie. There's something that he had to ask her.

The king was annoyed by the fact that Howl was neatly slithering out of being the Royal Wizard. "Why not?" he asked, sounding irritated.

"You see," Howl said, wracking his brain for something to say. "I, um, am rather busy with helping the citizens of Ingary and have no time for royal duties other than meager ones like these."

"You are?" the king asked.

"I am," Howl confirmed.

After his audience with the king, Howl headed to Lettie.

"You know," he asked while he was reciting her perfections, "I know someone who looks a little like you. Her name is Sophie."

Lettie held out her hand dismissively. "Oh, that's my sister."

Then she became very frightened. "How do you know Sophie?"

"Fear not, I have only met her in the passing. My heart only belongs to you," he said, thumping the place where his heart was supposed to be."

Lettie's beautiful face had gone very white. As he left dramatically, she rose from her seat to bid him goodbye. "Howl, you will come back and tell me how you know my sister, will you?" she pleaded. Howl was triumphant, soaring high. He had finally captured Lettie's interest...by indulging in her sister.

Howl frowned. "Yes, my love, I will," he said and soared away. Lettie's glossy black hair flew in curls around her face and she held back the dog that was so ferociously trying to bite Howl. This time, it was a beagle.

When he came back, Sophie had a cake in her lap. "What a marvelous cake!" Howl remarked. It was covered in curls of chocolate and cream and cherries. So Sophie was Lettie's sister, huh. Someone that beautiful as Lettie surely must have an equally lovely sister, which made Howl determined to see who was under the charm.

"Where did you get the cake?" Howl asked.

"I-er-I called in at Cesari's," Michael said, looking sheepish.

"It looks worth the walk," Howl said, inspecting the cake. He reached out to take a cherry, but Sophie gave him such a fierce look that he withdrew his hand. "I've heard that Cesari's is better than any of the cake shops in Kingsbury. Stupid of me never to have been in the place myself. And is this a pie that I see on the bench?" Howl sauntered over casually and picked up the skull, knocking out an onion ring from the eyehole. "I see Sophie has been busy again. Couldn't you have restrained her, my friend?"

Howl felt the buzz of magic before the skull yammered at him. He set down the skull and started talking about the king. He looked at the fireplace and realized that it wasn't burning. I wonder why, Howl thought.

"Wake Calcifer up, Michael," he ordered. "I need to consult him."

Michael threw logs on Calcifer and called him. Nothing happened.

Finally, Howl picked up a poker and apologized to Calcifer. Then he jabbed under the logs. "Wake UP!"

"Go away," Calcifer groaned. "I'm tired.

Howl was mystified. Calcifer had never been tired before. He was alarmed as well. If Calcifer went out, then his heart was a goner and so was his advisor. "What's wrong with him? I've never known him to be like this before!"

"I think it was a scarecrow," Sophie offered.

Howl slowly turned around and felt his eyes turned cold. "What have you done _now_?"

Sophie explained.

"Ugh," Howl groaned to himself. "Ugh."

As they ate, the food was quite good and the cake was superb, but Howl was still worried about Calcifer. He decided to sleep by Calcifer tonight just in case he needed something. He even put a slice of cake next to the hearth just in case Calcifer needed some food.

That night he was awakened by Calcifer.

"I knew that you would do this," Howl said, rubbing his eyes. "Eat your cake.

Calcifer was two flames, but once he ate the cake, he flared a little bit.

"You want to know why I'm tired," Calcifer said. His usual spunk and impudence had been replaced by resignation and being tired.

"Well, yes, that is part of it," Howl admitted.

"This morning, a scarecrow scared Sophie. She screamed and yelled at me to go faster. Do you know why?"

"Why?" Howl was forced to ask.

"Because when I was making the castle go faster, I think she had a heart attack. I could hear it thumping in her chest, jumping erratically. If we don't do something, she's going to die.

"Ah yes. Remind me the next time that happens," Howl said airily, but was really worried. "Now go to sleep, or I'll get mad at you."

"Such a fuss," Calcifer said hoarsely, but dove back under the smoking logs. Howl staggered up to his room where he fell asleep immediately.


	6. In which Sophie cuts up Howl's suit

**Author's note:**

**Thanks for all the people that like my stories! You guys are the reason that I keep on writing. **

**Special thanks to Believeindreams that reviewed my story!**

**Remember, most of the dialogue belongs to Dianna Wynne Jones.**

**Love,**

**Me.**

The next morning, Howl was pleased to see that Calcifer was blazing brightly and cheerfully. "I thought she'd done for you, you old ball of gas," Howl said affectionately, but frowning at the ash on his sleeves.

"I was only tired," Calcifer said. "There was some kind of drag on the castle. I'd never taken it that fast before."

"Well, don't let her make you do it again," said Howl. He stood up and brushed ash off his suit. "Make a start on that spell today, Micheal. And if anyone come from the king..." He gave Micheal a list of instructions to do, and finished with, "I'm going to see Lettie, but you needn't tell him that." He smiled to himself and opened the door, green blob down.

A huge, looming thing stood in front of him. Behind him, Sophie squawked in terror and the scarecrow hit Howl in the chest. He staggered back, but was determined not to let this...this thing get the better of him. He pushed. The scarecrow pushed back.

Micheal and Calcifer were leaning around him to get a better look. "There really is a scarecrow!" they said in unison.

"Oh is there?" Howl said sarcastically and panted. "Do tell!" He shoved a foot into the scarecrow and it flew lumpishly away to land in the heather. It hopped back up again and started to bang it's way to the castle, but this time Howl was ready. He jumped down from the castle and went to meet it. "No you don't, my friend," he said courteously and cast a spell to make the scarecrow go. Nothing happened and Howl frowned. It was a fearsomely strong spell that he had cast, yet the scarecrow was defying it with pure will.

Howl walked forward and the scarecrow jumped back. When he stopped walking, it stopped too.

"So you won't go?" asked Howl. Slowly, the head shook from side to side. No. "I'm afraid that you'll have to," Howl said. "You scare Sophie," here he had to keep from smiling. Sophie, scared? "and there's no knowing what she'll do when she's scared. Come to think of it, you scare me too!" Howl shouted out a strange word, lifting his hand as he cast a very hard spell that was one of the last that Ms. Pentstemmon taught him. He had to see Ms. Pentstemmon today about Sophie's spell.

The scarecrow flew away.

Howl lowered his arms and wiped the sweat from his brow, heading back to the castle. "I take back my hard words," he apologized to Sophie. "That thing is alarming. It may have been dragging the castle back all yesterday. It had some of the strongest magic I've met. Whatever was it-" He searched for a funny line- "-the remains of the last person that you cleaned for?"

Sophie laughed, but it wasn't the laugh that he was expecting, the strong, bubbly laughter, but instead a weak cackle that showed that something was happening to her. Howl jumped across the guitar and took ahold of Sophie's elbow, leading her to the chair where she sat obediently. "Take it easy now!" Using another spell, with Calcifer's help, Howl scraped away as much as the spell as possible, which included the bad heart and those things. Now, she had the body of a young girl, but the appearance of an old lady. Then Howl gave Michael a whole lot of instructions about keeping Sophie quite for the rest of the day.

Then Howl strode out of the door.

Something about the blue sky and the delicate clouds in the sky like cotton candy-a food that Mari loved-reminded him of his little ginger-haired mouse. He could picture her clearly. Her lovely face distorted by fear-Lettie. He rummaged through his memories and came up with a picture of Lettie when he asked her about Sophie.

That explained it. Those two faces were almost alike, the small chins, the short noses and the delicate eyes that had arching eyebrows. The only difference was that Lettie had dark blue eyes that shone with hints of sky blue, while his little mouse had big green-blue eyes that shimmered like the sea-only a little bluer.

Howl laughed, disturbing a flock of birds as he swiftly went to Ms. Fairfax's house.

Ms. Fairfax opened the door. "Oh, hello Wizard Howl. Lettie's in the back again."

Howl nodded graciously her way and headed to the back.

Lettie was waiting for him. Her long, glossy black curls were perfectly arranged so they draped over her shoulders and she was under Ms. Fairfax's cherry trees. The pinks and whites of the crowded blossoms matched Lettie's checkered dress perfectly.

"Howl!" Lettie said. "How nice to see you!"

Howl's mind soared. She was happy to see him! "Hello, dear heart," he said sweetly and bent to kiss her hand. His guitar bumped against the ground.

"Ever since you left I've been thinking about you," Lettie said sincerely.

Howl's eyes brightened.

"I was thinking about how you knew my sister, Sophie."

The brightness disappeared.

On the good side, it was nice that Lettie was thinking about him. On the dark side, she was only thinking about him because of her sister. Busy old Sophie.

"Ah, yes, my love," Howl said helplessly. "I was thinking that you would ask me about her.

"But, how do you know her?" Lettie asked, sitting down on the bench. Howl kept on standing, actually leaning on one of the cherry trees. "We, as in my sister and me, were so worried about Sophie when she disappeared from the hat shop. She's too sweet and kind to see if anyone's truly cruel."

Howl nearly snorted at that. Sophie-sweet and kind? He hid a secretive smile. "Maybe I could help you, by making a finding spell," he offered.

"Oh yes!" Lettie said, her eyes brightening. "How kind of you! All of the spells that Ms. Fairfax and I did showed that she was somewhere between Porthaven and Kingsbury, but that couldn't be right."

Howl nearly let loose a smile at that. "My finding spells are one of the most powerful."

Lettie looked pleadingly up at him. "Please, Howl. I love my sister and I need her. If you can find her, I will be very indebted."

Howl knelt and took Lettie's hand. "I promise, my dear, that I will help you find your dear sister. I swear on my heart."

Lettie smiled down at him.

Out of the corner of his eye, Howl saw a large collie dog start for him, but was stopped abruptly, as if someone had yanked it back. He saw dark brown hair that reminded him of Micheal's, and a long nose and the corner of a gray dress that reminded him of Sophie. He nearly laughed.

Sophie and Micheal were here. How unsurprising. Ever since he had said that he was going to visit Lettie that morning, Sophie had had bright eyes and a knowing smirk. Once they had left, he jumped up and bade her goodbye.

Lettie stared after Howl with anguished eyes.

A large collie dog sat near her feet and she rubbed his head. "I do hope that Sophie's okay!"

Howl tiptoed into his house before anyone saw him and went to Kingsbury. He went down the street to a large mansion and knocked on the door. A butler opened it and Howl went in. Ms. Pentstemmon greeted him.

"Howell. It's been a long time," Ms. Pentstemmon said, looking at him with sharp eyes. "What favor are you begging from me now?"

Howl nearly laughed. She knew him too well. "Hello Ms. Pentstemmon. You see, recently, a so-called cleaning lady came to my moving castle. She's an old lady you see, but her name's Sophie and she's wearing a charm. I peeled it away for a brief second and I know that it's a young woman, but I've tried everything. Nothing works!"

Ms. Pentstemmon gazed out her window. "You see that cloud in the sky, Howell?" she asked.

Howl didn't know what it had to do with Sophie's predicament, but he looked outside anyway. The cloud in particular was a dark, stormy gray, which looked out of place among all the puffy white clouds. "Yes, I do."

"Look at it, Howell. Have I taught you nothing?" Ms. Pentstemmon asked.

Howl closed his eyes and concentrated. The cloud was circled by a net of charms. "There's a net of charms around it," he said.

"Ah yes. But can you peel away those charms?"

"No," Howl said. "Because it wants those charms. Those charms protect it."

"Exactly," Ms. Pentstemmon asked.

"Calcifer made a deal with Sophie," Howl mused. "He said that if she broke our contract, then he'll break the curse. Is that any help?"

Ms. Pentstemmon nodded. "Perhaps Sophie only wants Calcifer to break it, and only after she breaks your contract. So try and help her. Give clues, hints, tips, or just wait and see."

Howl nodded. "Thanks Ms. Pentstemmon."

Ms. Pentstemmon closed her eyes. "Anytime, Howell. Now, before you go, why don't you go to my library of books? There's something that I think calls your name."

Howl nodded. "And..."

Ms. Pentstemmon opened her piercing eyes. "And what, Howell? If I think that the book is calling out your name, it will call our your name. Use your magic sense, Howell. Isn't that what I taught you. Oh, and, while you're there, go get a drink. You look dehydrated."  
Howl smiled to himself. Ms. Pentstemmon was like a second mother.

As Howl walked down the hallway to the library, which was interconnected to the kitchen. A beaming maid with crooked teeth gave him a glass of water, which he sipped while reading a book.

True to Ms. Pentstemmon's word, a slim book with leather binding was calling out his name. In the magic sense, when he reached out, something was yelling Howell. Which was rather annoying. When he opened the book, he saw that it was full of poetry.

Howl shut the book and downed the rest of the water in annoyance. What did poetry have to do with anything?

When he went back, no one was there except for Calcifer.

"Where are they?" he asked the green fire demon.

"Oh they went out to work on the spell that you gave Michael," Calcifer explained.

"But the spell was supposed to be made at the bench," Howl said, feeling rather confused.

"You went to see Ms. Pentstemmon, didn't you," Calcifer accused.

"Yes, yes I did," Howl said nobly. "And I learned a few interesting things. Firstly, Ms. Pentstemmon seems to think that Sophie's spell can only be broken by you, and only after she breaks our contract."

"Sweet," Calcifer remarked. "By the way, you might want to go to sleep. Sophie's mad at you."

"For what?" Howl asked and Calcifer looked meaningly at Sophie's chair.

There were the sorry remains of Howl's silver and blue suit.

"For the fact that you're going to jilt Lettie right after you make her fall in love with you," said Calcifer in a matter of fact way.

Howl stared at the silver triangles. "That's not good," he said after a while. Really, he was feeling quite dizzy. "That's not good at all. I think I'm going to bed." He staggered to his filthy room, where he climbed into his bed and fell asleep. His dreams were filled with silver and blue suits that danced around in broken triangles with Sophie maliciously chopping them up into smaller and smaller pieces.


	7. In which Howl buys everyone new clothes!

**Hi!**

**So this chapter took an absurdly long time to write, but I hope to give a third chapter today. Please R&R!**

**3 Me!**

When Howl came out of the bathroom that day, Sophie was busy cooking bacon over Calcifer. He sat in her chair and watched her, eyeing his ruined suit out of the corner of his eye.

"Dear Sophie," he began. "Always, um, busy. You were hard at word yesterday, weren't you, in spite of my advice. Why have you made a jigsaw puzzle out of my best suit? Just a friendly inquiry, you know."

Sophie rolled her eyes as she turned to him and Howl tried not to frown. It was his best suit. She had no right to cut it up into small silver triangles. "You jellied it the other day. I'm making it over."

Howl's temper nearly flared. "I can do that. I thought I showed you already. I can also make you a pair of seven-league boots of your own if you give me your size. Something practical in brown calf, perhaps. It's amazing the way one can take a step ten and a half miles long and still land in a cowpat." He had examined the seven league boots the other day and discovered that Sophie had indeed been using them. So he hid them in the yard. Howl watched in satisfaction as Sophie's cheeks turned a slight shade of pink.

"It may have been a bullpat," Sophie retorted. "I daresay you found mud on the marches on them too. A person my age needs a lot of exercise."

"You were even busier that I realized, then," said Howl. "Because when I happened to tear my eyes from Lettie's lovely face, I could have sworn that I saw your long nose poking round the corner of the house."

"Mrs. Fairfax is a family friend," said Sophie indignantly. "How was I to know that you would be there too?"

Howl gave a satisfied smile. So she admitted that she was there, which meant that she was genuinely worried about her sister. "You have a instinct, Sophie, that's how. Nothing is safe from you, I swear. If I were to court a girl that lived on an iceberg in the middle of a forgotten sea, sooner or later-" he smiled- "-probably sooner-I'd look up to see you swooping overhead on a broomstick." It was very true. "In fact, by now, I would be disappointed in you if I didn't see you."

"Are you off to the iceberg today? From the look on Lettie's face, there's nothing that need keep you there!" Sophie said angrily. Howl was justly hurt. Did she have no faith in him? Probably not.

"You wrong me Sophie," Howl said, feeling very injured. "Long years will pass before I leave Lettie." Even if my only reason for staying is to find out about you, he added to himself privately. "And in fact, I'm off to see the King again today. Satisfied, Mrs. Nose?"

Sophie looked suspicious, but then rolled her eyes. Michael kept on plucking at Howl's sleeves, trying to talk to him, but Howl was calculating mentally how much time he'll have to see the king, and then it was off to see an old friend that was one of the wisest people that Howl had ever met-about magic.

So Howl went off to the king, red blob down, and walked to the king, who was still intent on making him the royal wizard.

"I need to have someone to blacken my name," Howl said and smiled.

And he patted a silky, chinking purse full of gold coins. "I need a mother."

Sophie.

Howl walked briskly along the road to the dress shop, where he took a gray silk dress from a rack, which was trimmed with lace. Then he took a lace shawl off the rack and asked the people to pick out the necessities, where they wrapped the stockings and other things up and then gave it to them. Afterword, he picked out a handsome velvet suit, a nice shade of blue for Michael.

When he went home, he expected to see Sophie busy cutting up his suit, but instead saw Michael rolling about laughing and Sophie sitting, telling stuff. Howl felt suddenly lonely and indignant that they were having fun without him.

So he stormed in, feeling like he wanted to produce green slime.

"Look at you all!" he said indignantly. "Ruin stares me in the face. I slave all day for you all. And not one of you, even Calcifer, can spare time to say hello!" He was feeling tragic.

Sophie looked nervous, and he didn't blame her. He was in the mood to produce slime. "I'll make some hot buttered toast."

"Is that all you can do in the face of tragedy?" Howl asked sarcastically. "Make toast!" Seeing that she was about to get up, he hastily added, "no, don't get up. I've trudged here, laden with stuff for you, so the least you can do is show polite interest. Here." He handed them the packages and watched their faces.

"I never do say hello," Calcifer quipped.

Howl made a face at him and Calcifer crackled with mean laughter.

Michael was delighted and Sophie was elated.

"You must've spent every bit that was in the silk purse!" Michael said excitedly. "I don't need this. You're the one who needs a new suit."

Howl hooked his shoe into one of the large holes that was all that remained of his best suit. "How selfless I am," he said. "But I can't send you and Sophie to the king in rags. He'll think that I didn't look over my old mother properly. Well, Sophie, are the boots the right size? I had to guess on everything."

Sophie looked up. "Are you being kind?" she asked and Howl drew himself up proudly. "Or cowardly." Howl bristled. "Thank you very much, and no, I won't."

"What ingratitude!" Howl exclaimed. "Let's have that green slime again! After which I shall be forced to move my castle a thousand miles away and never see my lovely Lettie again!" And find about more about Sophie.

"You haven't asked me to do anything yet," Sophie said grudgingly. "You've just said that I'm going to."

Howl smiled triumphantly. "And you are going to, aren't you?"

"All right," Sophie said after a pause and Howl smirked again. "When do you want me to go?"

"Tomorrow afternoon. Michael can go as your footman. The king's expecting you." Howl sat on a stool and began twiddling idly with his fingers, explaining what Sophie would say and how she would say it, who she was and what she should do.

Michael was on Howl's sleeve, plucking at them and trying to ask Howl something, anything.

Every now and then, Howl would think about something else to say to the king. Sophie wasn't looking like she would remember all of this.

Finally, Howl turned to Michael. "Right Michael. Your turn now. What is it?"

Michael waved a piece of paper into Howl's face, and Howl's eyebrows shot up. This was paper from Wales and he knew what had happened even before Michael started talking.

"Sophie and I tried to do the spell, but we didn't know what to do!" Michael said urgently. "It seems impossible!"

"What was your problem?" Howl asked, still staring at the paper.

"I tried it as a puzzle and I tried doing just what it says," Michael explained. Howl smiled. "But Sophie and I couldn't catch the falling star."

Howl thought about something that his brother in law, Gareth, said. "Great gods above!" He started to laugh and then saw Michael's injured expression and bit his lip to stop himself. "But this isn't the spell that I left you, Michael. Where did you find it?"

"On the bench, in that heap of things Sophie piled round the skull," Michael explained. "It was the only new spell there, so I thought-"

Howl leapt up and started laughing again. "Sophie strikes again." He rummaged through the pile and frowned when he discovered that the spell that he had originally put there was gone. "I might've known! No, the proper spell isn't here." Howl smirked at the skull sitting innocently on the bench. "Your doing, friend? I have a notion you came from there. I'm sure the guitar does." Wales. "Er-Sophie dear-"

Sophie looked instantly wary. "What?"

"Busy old fool," Howl started. "Unruly Sophie. Am I right in thinking that you turned my doorknob black side down and stuck your long nose out through it."

Clearly affronted, Sophie sniffed. "Just my finger," she said, sounding grand and dignified.

"But you opened the door," Howl said, "and the thing Michael thinks is a spell must've gone through. Didn't it occur to either of you that it doesn't look like spells usually do? Sophie? You're nosy enough that you ought to know as well."

"Yes, do tell, Sophie," Calcifer added and crackled again.

Howl saw Sophie make a face at Calcifer.

"Spells often look peculiar," Michael argued. "What is it really?"

Howl snorted with laughter and then regretted it. Somehow, to his mind, it made him less courtly and he frowned. "Decide what this is about. Write a second verse! Oh lord!" he said. He ran for the stairs. "I'll show you!"

When Howl entered his dirty room, he frowned. His books were not here. Something told him that it was in Wales.

Howl ran back down the stairs, feeling upset. "I haven't got the book at all." He was looking for a poem, that had the stanza of the so-called spell in it. "Michael did I hear you say that you went out and tried to catch a shooting star?"

"Yes, but it was scared stiff, fell in a pool and drowned," Michael said.

"Thank goodness for that!" Howl said. Michael had no idea what he might have gotten himself into-the same contract that Howl and Calcifer themselves were trying to get out.

"It was very sad," Sophie added.

"Sad, was it?" said Howl, feeling even more upset and even a little bit angry at Sophie. "It was your idea, was it? It would be!" He ranted on about what might've happened if Michael had saved the star until Calcifer interrupted him.

"What's all this fuss about?" Calcifer asked crossly. "You caught one yourself, didn't you?"

Howl glared at Calcifer. "Yes and I-" he choked on his words, knowing fully that if he broke the contract, he would break himself. He pulled himself together and turned on Michael. "Michael, promise me that you'll never try to catch one again."

"I promise," Michael said. "What is it then?"

"It's called-" Howl frowned. He didn't quite remember. "It's not all here and I can't remember the rest of it." He stood and thought. The next verse, he was fairly sure, held the curse that Fiara, the Witch of the Waste had cast upon him months ago. "I think the next verse was important. I'd better take this back and see." He turned the door black down. And since Michael and Sophie were openly staring at the doorknob, he sighed. "All right. I know that Sophie will squirm in through somehow if I leave her behind and that's not fair to Michael. So come along-both of you-so I've got you two both where I can see you."

Calcifer eyed Howl and gave him one of his rare silent messages, which took effort to make. I hope you know what you're doing, he told Howl silently.

What do you mean? Howl asked him back as he opened the door.

Just wait and see, Calcifer said and crackled with laughter.

Howl frowned at the fire demon and walked through the black nothingness and closed his eyes.


	8. In which Howl takes them to Wales

**Author's note.**

**Howl's real name is Howell, if you haven't figured that out already. **

**I love Mari! She's so cute!  
I had to split this chapter into two, but I really, really, really, really, hope that you like it. To me, this chapter seems like it drags on and on forever, but I really hope that you like it. **

**Did I already say that?**

**Oh, whatever. **

**Love, **

**Me. **

Howl opened his eyes and gave a shudder as he walked through the black nothingness. Michael appeared right next to him right after. It took a little while until Sophie appeared and then they set off.

The scenery was very familiar to Howl, but Micheal and Sophie were staring at the regular scene of a town. Gray, cement streets, bare looking trees and such.

"We need to blend in," Howl remarked and made everything more modern. Michael complained about his trousers, which Howl had to convert to jeans and Sophie stared at her dress.

"You'll get used to it, Michael," Howl told him. "Come on, all of you."

Howl unlocked the glass back door of his sister's, Megan, house.

"Howell!" Megan said, setting down her knitting. But before she could say anything, Mari leapt up from where she was in front of the television and hurtled toward Howl.

"Uncle Howell!" Mari bawled and hugged Howl's waist with her arms and legs. She was about four, and her hair was curly, black and cute. She had big blue eyes like Megan's and the same angular face as Howl.

"Mari!" Howl yelled in return. "How are you, caraid! Been a good girl, then?" He broke out into welsh.

"Who are those people?" Mari asked, giggling.

"That, is Sophie, and the boy is Michael," Howl explained.

"Why do you have an old lady?" said Mari.

"Because she is actually a really young woman, who was cursed by a jealous person to look like an old lady," Howl confided. Megan was looking at them curiously. "And-" He was shocked at what he nearly said.

And I love her.

Howl nearly slapped himself for thinking about what Calcifer said. Love is not a real thing. Love was fake. He fancied some women, but love? Love was a bit too strong for what he felt about them.

In the middle of his chatter with Mari, he managed to introduce Sophie and Michael to Mari and Megan. "This is my niece, Mari, and my sister, Megan Parry. Megan, this is Michael Fisher and Sophie, er-"

Howl just realized that he had no idea what was Sophie's last name.

"Hatter," finished Sophie.

Megan shook hands with Sophie and Michael, looking disapproving of them. She was twenty-eight years old, four years older than Howl, and looked a lot like him. "Quiet Mari!" she said to Howl and Mari.

Howl barely stopped himself from scoffing.

"Howell, are you staying long?" Megan asked.

Howl gently detached Mari from his waist and set her on the floor. "Just dropped in for a minute, you know."

"Gareth isn't in yet," Megan said meaningly.

Howl barely kept from shuddering. Gareth was his brother in law and was even more disapproving of Howl's magic than Megan, which was rather amazing. "What a pity! We can't stay for that long," Howl said between clenched teeth, smiling a rather false smile. "I'd just thought that I'd introduce you to my friends here. And I, I wanted to ask you something that may sound very, _very_ silly. Has Neil by any chance lost a piece of English homework lately?" Howl arched an eyebrow.

Megan's eyebrows however, both went up so high that Howl wasn't sure that it was entirely possible. "Funny you should say that!" Megan exclaimed. "Looking everywhere, that little tyke was last Thursday! He has just got this new English teacher, see, and she's extremely strict. She doesn't just worry about spelling either, no she doesn't. Puts the fear of god into them about getting work in on time. Doesn't do Neil any harm, lazy devil. So here he was, last Thursday, hunting high and low for that homework, and all he can find is a funny old piece of writing-"

"Ah," said Howl. He had a hunch what that writing was and he was feeling very proud for finding it. "And what exactly what did he do with that writing?"

"I told him to hand it in to this Ms. Angorian, his teacher, of his," Megan explained. She looked at Howl sternly with her cold, calculating eyes. "Might show her that he tried for once."

"And did he?" Howl asked, amused. Neil was known for never really paying attention in class and concentrated mostly on his video and computer games, which Megan and Gareth highly disapproved of.

"I don't know," Megan said, picking up Mari, who was tugging at her skirt for attention. "Don't pull, Mari," she added crossly. "Better ask Neil. He's up in the front bedroom with that machine of his, but you won't get any sense out of him. None, I tell you."

Howl nodded. "Come on," he said to Michael and Sophie, who were still staring, unabashed, around the room. Mari fought until Megan let her down and then scampered after Howl. They went along the carpeted hallway and then went to Neil's room, where he was busy playing a game on the computer.

"Goodness!" he heard Sophie exclaim and he grinned grimly.

"Neil!" said Howl. He was rather irritated that his own nephew was not paying any attention to him. He flicked his fingers and Neil's ear started to scratch, but Neil ignored it.

"Don't interrupt," Neil's friend, Kevin, said. "He'll lose his life."

Howl heard Michael's gasp and smiled. Lose his life, huh? Well, this was Howl's life that was on stake. He strode over to the wall and pulled out Michael's plug. The computer died. Neil swore and whirled around. "Mari! I'll get you for this!"

"Wasn't me this time! So!" Mari shouted back and stuck out her tongue as well.

Neil whirled further around, saw Howl idly twirling the plug and glared even more. He had an impressive glare, with Gareth's black/brown eyes and pitch-colored hair, with thick eyebrows that made his eyes smolder. "How do, Neil," Howl said pleasantly.

"Who is he?" Kevin asked, looking confused.

"My no-good uncle," Neil said. "What do you want? Put that plug back in."

Howl felt quite hurt that that, but didn't let it affect him. "There's a welcome in the valleys! I'll put it back when I've asked you something and you've actually answered it."

"Uncle Howell, I'm in the middle of a computer game."

"A new one?" Howl asked, raising one eyebrow. But, of course, it wasn't a new one.

"No, it's the one that I got for Christmas," said Neil dismally. "You ought to know about the way they go on and on about spending time and money on useless things. They won't give me another until my birthday."

"Then that's easy," said Howl. "You won't mind stopping if you've done it before and I'll bribe you with a new one-" Howl smiled in self satisfaction. If it was one thing that Neil couldn't resist, it was a new computer game.

"Really?" Kevin and Neil said in unison. "Can you make it one of the ones that nobody else has got?"

"Yeah, but just take a look at these first and tell me what it is," Howl said and held out the piece of paper.

Neil and Kevin looked at it with the same kind of look that they would give a dead creature. An absolutely appalled look. "It's a poem."

"It's the one that Miss Angorian set for last week's homework," said Kevin. "I remember wind and finned. It's about a submarine, isn't it?"

"Hey! It's my long-lost homework! Where did you find it? Was that funny writing that turned up yours? Miss Angorian said that it was interesting, lucky or me, and she took it home with her."

"Thank you," Howl said. "Where does she live?"

As Neil explained where Miss Angorian lived, Howl's shrewd mind was whirling. So Miss Angorian thought that the writing was interesting, huh? He'd better watch her. What if she found out what the writing was really for?

"When will you give me the new tape?"

"When you remember how the rest of the poem goes," Howl joked.

"That's not fair!" said Neil angrily. "I can't even remember the bit that was written down now. That's just playing with a person's feelings!" He stopped when Howl started to laugh.

Howl casted a fairly complex bit of magic and fished out a computer game from his pocket and handed it to Neil. "Thanks!" Neil said devoutly and went back to his computer. Howl placed the plug back into the wall. Mari stayed this time, watching.

Howl hurried down the stairs, but Michael and Sophie hung around for a little longer. Howl raced down the stairs and frowned.

"Megan! Where are my books?"

Megan came from the kitchen, a scowl on her face. "I sold them."

"What do you mean, you sold all of my books?" Howl repeated indignantly. "I needed one of them! They weren't yours to sell!"

"Don't interrupt! Listen, for once in your life!" Megan said in a low, ferocious voice. She was almost as tall and Howl and had an temper big enough to match. "I am not a storehouse for your property. You are a disgrace to me and Gareth, lounging about in those clothes, instead of buying a proper suit, taking up with riffraff and layabouts, bringing them to this house! Are you trying to bring me down to your level? You had all that education and for what? You don't even have a decent job! You just hang around, wasting all that time in college, all those sacrifices that other people made, wasting your money-"

Howl idly twitched his hands. Megan was starting to annoy him.

Finally, Sophie stumped down grandly and pretended to be a wealthy woman that was an accost of Howl's. Howl could only stare in admiration and a smile quirked at his mouth, only he was still too angry at Megan to give in to it. The only reason that he turned back was to say-

"Is my old car still in the shed-_or have you sold that as well_?" Howl rose an eyebrow.

"You've got the only set of keys," Megan responded, arms crossed firmly, a scowl on her face and her tone of voice dour. It was her way of saying goodbye and get out.

As they walked out, Howl unlocked the shed. "I suppose the fierce english teacher is bound to have a copy of that book."

They went in his car and when Howl drove, he happened to look back and he smiled at what he saw. Sophie and Michael were looking absolutely terrified and upset, Michael was clutching at the seat and Sophie had her eyes closed.

Howl stopped the car. "Come on. Get out. We're here."

**The next part is coming soon. **


	9. In which Howl meets Miss Angorian

**Hey guys!**

**Thanks for all the people who, I guess, like my story. **

**Anyway, this is where Howl meets Miss Angorian. The fun chapters are coming up next! Ahhhhh!**

**Me.**

Howl walked over to the tea flat with Sophie and Michael following closely behind. He pressed the button and saw out of the corner of his eye, Sophie looking nosily around at the flat.

Miss Angorian opened the door.

Howl's first reaction was shock.

First, he was surprised that she as so good looking, and second, he knew those eyes.

Miss Angorian had blue-black hair and tanned skin that brought out her dark eyes-which were _enormous_. She was slim, and shorter than Howl, but tall enough to look him in the eye without looking up too much.

He had seen those enormous dark eyes in the Witch of Waste's home.

Lily Angorian looked at them curiously. "I'll take a small guess that you may be Howell Jenkins, am I correct?" she asked in a melodious voice that throbbed.

Howl was still shocked, but then knew that the Witch expected him to fall straight for Lily. Which was precisely what he knew that he should do. Sophie, who was right beside him, gave a humph, and he smiled at Lily Angorian.

"And you must be Ms. Angorian," said Howl. "I'm very sorry to bother you, but I made a..." he winced when he said this, "stupid mistake last week and carried off my nephew's homework instead of a very important paper that I had with me. Neil said that he gave it to you in proof that he didn't entirely shirk his work."

"He did," Lily said. "You'd better come in and collect it."

When they went in, Lily's eyes went to Sophie and widened, but she hid it and instead said considerately, "Won't you sit down?" Sophie sat down gladly and Howl smiled in the shadow that hid his face.

Howl turned on his charm. "How is it that you've come to know who I am?" he asked, giving a dazzling smile.

"You seem to have caused a lot of gossip in this town," Lily said, sorting through the papers on her desk. "Now, where did I put it?"

"And what have those people who gossip tell you?" Howl asked, trying to catch Lily's eye.

"That you disappear and turn up unpredictably, for one thing. And I'm being rather polite here," Lily said.

"And what else?" Howl followed Lily's moves with his eyes.

"Many other things, a few to your credit," Lily said giving Michael and Sophie a look. She gave a piece of parchment to Howl. "Here it is. Do you know what it is?"

"Of course," Howl said.

"Then tell me."

Howl took the paper and tried to take Lily's hand with it. She won and held her hands behind her back and Howl pretended to look disappointed, giving her a melting smile. He passed the paper to Michael. "_You_ tell her."

Michael face lit up. "It's the spell! Oh, I can do this one-it's enlargement, isn't it?" he asked. Howl grimaced.

"That's what I thought!" Lily said. "I'd like to know exactly what you were doing with such a thing."

"Miss Angorian," Howl started, thinking of a lie to tell the fire demon. After all, it was the Witch's fire demon. He had a right to lie to her. "If you have heard all those things about me, you must know that I have wrote my..." he thought about Gareth, "doctoral thesis on charms and spells. You look as if you suspect me of working black magic! I assure you, I have never worked any kind of spell in my life." He heard Sophie snort behind him and gave her an irritated frown. "With my hand on my heart, this spell is for study purposes only. It is very old and very rare. That was why I needed it back so urgently."

"Well, you have it back," Lily said. "Before you go, would you mind giving me my homework sheet? Photocopies aren't free you know."

Howl brought out the paper and handed it just out of reach. He needed to know something. "This poem on the homework sheet, now," he said. "It's been bothering me. Silly, really!-but I can't remember the rest of it. By-" He thought about it and decided on one of his favorite poets. "By Walter...Raleigh, isn't it?" He knew very well who it was by, and it was definitely not Walter.

Lily gave him a burning, searching look. "Certainly not! It is by John Donne and it's very well known indeed. I have the book with it in here, if you want to refresh your memory."

"Please do," Howl said. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sophie watching him and knew that she knew that this was the real reason that he went to Wales in the first place. She was very smart. Michael was still looking at Lily with a lovestruck look on his face. "Miss Angorian," he said pleadingly. "Wouldn't you consider coming out for supper with me tonight?" he asked.

Lily turned around, looking very indignant and angry. "I will not," she said with dignity. "Mr. Jenkins, I have absolutely no idea what you have heard about me, but surely you must have heard that I still consider myself engaged to Ben Sullivan-"

Howl frowned. "Never heard of him," he lied. It was Ben Suliman, the first Royal Wizard.

"My Fiance," Miss Angorian said. "He disappeared some years back. No, do you wish me to read this poem out to you?"

"Do so," Howl said languishingly. "You have such a lovely voice.

"Then I'll start with the second verse," Lily said. She looked very hard at the paper in Howl's hand. "Since you have the first verse in your hand."

The minute she started, Howl knew the poem. It flashed in his head. It was Song, by John Donne.

Go and catch a falling star,

Get with child a mandrake root,

Tell me where all past years are,

Or who cleft the devil's foot,

Teach me to hear mermaids singing,

Or to keep off envy's stinging,

And find

What wind

Serves to advance an honest mind.

If thou be'st born to strange sights,

Things invisible to see,

Ride ten thousand days and nights,

Till age snow white hairs on thee,

Thou, when thou return'st, wilt tell me,

All strange wonders that befell thee,

And swear,

No where

Lives a woman true and fair.

If thou find'st one, let me know,

Such a pilgrimage were sweet;

Yet do not, I would not go,

Though at next door we might meet,

Though she were true, when you met her,

And last, till you write your letter,

Yet she

Will be

False, ere I come, to two, or three

By the time Howl had ran through the entire thing in his head, Lily had finished the second verse and was starting on the third. "Thank you," he said hurriedly, cutting off Lily Angorian. She stared at him in surprise. "Stop there. I won't trouble you for the rest. Even the good woman is untrue in the last verse, isn't she? I remember now. Silly of me. John Donne, of course." Lily was still staring at him, so he forced up a smile. "We must be going now. Sure you won't change your mind about supper?"

"I will not," Lily said, but was staring at him in concern. "Are you quite well, Mr. Jenkins?"

"In the pink," Howl said feebly. He hustled Sophie and Michael into the car.

"What's the matter?" Michael asked.

Howl pretended not to hear, so Michael asked again when Howl was locking the car into the shed.

"Oh, nothing," Howl said, wiping the sweat off of his face. "The Witch of the Waste has cuaght up with me with her curse, that's all." He worked hard to sound airy and calm. "Bound to happen sooner or later." He calculated the sum of his years. "Ten thousand," he muttered to himself. "That brings it to about Midsummer's day."

"What is brought to Midsummer Day?" asked Sophie nosily.

"The time I'll be ten thousand days old," How l said. "And that, Mrs. Nose," he added. "Is the day that I shall have to go back to the Witch of the Waste." He could feel Sophie and Michael staring at his back. "If I keep clear of mermaids and don't touch a mandrake root..." he muttered to himself.

"What will the witch do?" Sophie asked.

"I shudder to think," Howl said darkly.

They went into the castle. Calcifer's flames lit the room.

Howl gave Calcifer a log and he flared. Calcifer shuddered and Howl sat next to it, not in the ash though.

"She caught up, old blueface," Howl said seriously. Sophie sat in her chair and was staring into the space.

"I know," said Calcifer. "I felt it take."


	10. In which Michael guesses the truth

**Sorry that this chapter is so short! I'm trying to get through the story, I'm so excited. **

**Thanks to 3blue3moon3 for reviewing so many times! You rock!**

**The dialogue is DWJ's, btw.**

**Love, **

**me!**

Howl knew that Sophie didn't really want to blacken his name, but he said that there was more point then ever by now. "I shall need everything I've got just to escape the Witch," was his excuse. "I can't have the King after me as well."

When he came out of the bathroom, he saw Sophie looking rich and noble-apart from her battered stick. Michael apparently had the same thought.

"You look wonderfully rich and stately!" Michael said excitedly.

"She does me credit," Howl said. "Apart from that awful old stick."

"Some people," Sophie said crossly, "are thoroughly self-centered." At this, she gave Howl such a look that he withered. "This stick goes with me. I need it for moral support."

Howl looked at the ceiling. "Okay. Fine."

They went outside to Kingsbury, where Sophie looked back. Howl knew the signs. "Before you ask, it's really just a disused stable," he said.

Sophie frowned.

They walked through the streets, looking very fine and elaborate. Howl walked quickly to Ms. Pentstemmon's house. The heat was starting to make him uncomfortable, and Sophie was fairly fast at walking anyway.

"By the way," Howl added, "Ms. Pentstemmon will call you Mrs. Pendragon. Pendragon is the name I go under here."

"Whatever for?" Sophie asked, stumping stately along.

"For disguise," Howl said, feeling like it should be obvious. "Pendragon is also a lovely name, much better than Jenkins."

"I get by quite well with a plain name," Sophie said as they turned to Ms. Pentstemmon's street.

Howl smiled. "We can't all be Mad Hatters."

They went to Ms. Pentstemmon's house, where Monsieur Francis Hunch, the footman and butler, opened the door. Howl knew Francis from multiple journeys to the house, and joked around with him. Monsieur Francis led them to Ms. Pentstemmon's room where he opened the door and led them in.

Sophie and Michael looked obviously scared of Ms. Pentstemmon, so Howl had to flap his hand at them to either back away or come forward.

"Ah, my dear Howell," Ms. Pentstemmon said. She was dressed in old gold that day, and her white hair was tied in a tight knot on the top of her head. She was looking very old and very grand. And very frightening, to people that weren't used to her.

"Mrs. Pentstemmon, please, let me introduce my old mother," Howl said, flapping his hand at Sophie, who came reluctantly.

Mrs. Pentstemmon raised her eyebrow at Howl. Her telepathic voice floated to Howl. So this it the young enchanted lady?

Howl nodded, just barely.

"Charmed. Delighted," Mrs. Pentstemmon said. "Forgive my not standing up Mrs. Pendragon," Mrs. Pentstemmon apologized gracefully. "My health is not good. It forced me to retire three years ago."

"I am eighty six," Mrs. Pentstemmon said. "How old are you, my dear Mrs. Pendragon?"

"Ninety," Sophie said. Howl frowned.

"So old?" Mrs. Pentstemmon asked, looking slightly envious. "How lucky you are to move so nimbly still."

"Oh, yes, she's wonderfully nimble," Howl quipped. "Sometimes there's no stopping her."

"I daresay that she is as proud of you as I am. We are two old ladies who both had a had in forming you. You are, one might say, our joint creation."

Howl was indignant, so when Mrs. Pentstemmon told him to go with Michael, he left, dragging Michael along with him where they sat in the library.

Having nothing to talk about, they just stood there.

"Do you have a girl yet?" Howl asked suddenly. It was something that he had been wondering about for a long time.

Michael shifted.

"You do," Howl said calmly.

"How do you know?" Michael asked.

How could Howl explain that it was everything about Michael, the distant look he had when Howl mentioned Lettie, the blush that spread across his cheeks whenever someone mentioned Cesari. "She works at Cesari, huh? What's her name?"

Michael shifted. "Her name is Lettie."

Howl must've looked injured, because Michael rushed on. "She's not...your Lettie. She works at Cesari and she's thinner and has lighter hair."

Howl nodded. "Uh-huh."

Michael got a dreamy look in his eyes. "We're going to get married, me and my Lettie Hatter."

Howl was amused. "Aren't you a bit too young to be thinking about getting married?"

Michael shook his head. "We still have our apprentices, but we're happy to wait."

Howl stared. Michael really was someone that committed to his first love. "Well, yay for the happy couple. Isn't Hatter Sophie's last name?"

Michael nodded.

"You do know that Sophie really isn't Sophie?"

Michael looked confused.

Howl frowned again. "Um, well, see, she's under a charm and well...she's young."

Michael's dark eyes widened. "Does that mean that she's not Lettie's great aunt?"

"No, she's not," Howl said and his mood darkened. "And she's my Lettie's sister. I've had several goes at taking the charm off at her, but none of them work. It's rather depressing, when your magic doesn't work."

"But then...my Lettie is fourteen years old, and she has a sister named Sophie as well-" Michael's eyes widened. "There's two Letties?"

Howl laughed. "That's mad."

"Well, that's what you get when you deal with Hatter women," Michael said gloomily.

They sat in silence for a little longer.

"Do you love her?" Michael asked out of the blue.

Howl was considerably startled. "Do I love _who_?" he asked fairly shocked. Michael couldn't mean...

"I mean, do you love Sophie?" Michael asked, swirling his water. "You haven't acted the same way that you've always did since she's came around."

"What? No! I'm completely the same!" Howl felt his face turn the lightest possible shade of pink.

Michael grinned.

"You're just like Calcifer, I swear," Howl said with a grimace.

"So you are!" Michael crowed. "I won't tell her. Here she comes now!"

Footsteps could be heard on the staircase and Sophie's voice telling the boy to slow down. Michael nudged Howl in the ribs when they saw how slowly she was coming down. Maybe she was ill.

"You seem a bit ragged," Howl said in a sad voice. "I think we'd better skip seeing the king. I'll go and blacken my own name when I make your excuses. I can say my evil ways have made you ill. Very ill. That could be true, from the look of you."

Howl could see the gears turning in Sophie's head and then she shook her head. "After Mrs. Pentstemmon," she said, "the King of Ingary will seem just like an ordainary person."

Howl shrugged, exchanged a warning glance at Michael, and led the way.


	11. In Which Howl catches a cold

**So the beginning is a little dreary, and a little boring, but the dialogue belongs, as always, to DWJ, except the little exchange between Howl and Philip. **

**So, R&R PLZZZZZZZZZ**

**Thank you!**

Howl left Michael and Sophie at the gate and went around to walk around the city.

The heat was blistering and seared at him so he ducked into the first shop he found.

A young lady with gold hair went up to him. "Welcome to Marianne's tea shop! How may I take your order?"

"I'll have a strawberry pastry with cream and raspberries on the top," Howl said drearily. He took out a few coins and slid them to the young girl.

"Oh, um, okay," she said.

After he ate the pastry, he went to an old friend's house.

He ranted out all his problems to Philip.

Philip listened in stunned silence. He had lightish brown hair and dark gold eyes with tanned skin and white teeth. He was very experienced in curses.

"I don't get it Philip. And something's wrong with my heart!" Howl said.

Philip smirked. "You're in love."

Howl scoffed. "I am not."

Philip's smile grew even bigger.

"She's an old lady-"

"Ah-bu-buh! She's a beautiful young lady in an old lady disguise," Philip interrupted.

"Anyway, love is not an actual thing," Howl said dismally. "And I have a curse chasing at my heels."

"Good for you," Philip joked.

Howl glared at him.

"Nah, I'm joking, man. Anyway, you have to fulfill your curse before you can break it."

"You're a real help, Philip. I got to go. See you later"

Howl scowled and walked out.

Since he had nothing better to do, he went to Ms. Pentstemmon's house. He rang the doorbell, but no one answered. He twisted the doorknob and found that it was unlocked.

Howl ran inside and grimaced.

Francis was slumped against the wall. One look at him and Howl immediately knew that he was dead. His neck was at an odd angle.

"Oh, Francis," Howl said. "Mrs. Pentstemmon!"

Howl raced upstairs urgently, taking the steps two at a time. "Oh, no," he said when he saw that the door was closed. And locked as well. He knocked on it, but no one answered. It was magic protected, so he did what any other person would do.

He kicked the door in.

"Dammit!" Howl cursed as splinters flew into his leg. A wave of his hand and all of them disappeared. He turned pale.

Mrs. Pentstemmon was on the bed. Her lifeless eyes were staring at the ceiling, her hands resting on her chest. Tucked under them was a book. She was dead. She wasn't breathing, and her hands were cold and smooth.

"Mrs. Pentstemmon..." Howl whispered. Tears collected in his eyes and some even dripped their way down his cheeks. The woman that had been his second mother was gone. And her death was by magic.

Howl took the book and opened it. He stiffened and looked in the cover. His hands clenched in rage and he dropped the book on his way out, leaving it open.

Written in large, readable words was-

_She wouldn't tell me where you were._

_ F._

Howl stormed down the road to the house, where he sat, panting. Michael whisked up, out of breath and pale.

"Where's Sophie?" Michael asked.

Howl swore so colorfully that Michael covered his ears. "Not her too!"

"What happened? Howl?" Michael asked, looking worried. "Howl? Answer me! You can't just cut me out like this!"

"Mrs. Pentstemmon is dead," Howl said through numb lips.

Michael turned even paler. "What?"

A royal carriage rumbled up and Sophie stepped out of it with Valeria. Gently, she placed Valeria back inside and a footman handed Howl a scroll.

_Dear Howell Pendragon,_

_ We, the royal court, have unanimously voted that you be the second Royal wizard. Congratulations._

Then there was a scribble of a signature.

Howl groaned and tipped the person a gold coin. Luckily, Michael didn't see, the penny pincher.

"Where did you get to?" Michael asked. "I've been so worried! And Howl's terribly upset-"

"I'm sure he is," Sophie said while Howl listened in.

"Because Mrs. Pentstemmon's dead.

Howl came up. "I make that four horses and ten men just to get rid of one old woman. What did you _do_ to the king?" he asked.

As they went inside, Calcifer flared up, grinning. "I think the King got sick of me turning up and blackening your name," Sophie said sheepishly. "I went twice. Everything when wrong! And I met the Witch on her way from killing Mrs. Pentstemmon." At that, Howl felt a lump in his throat. "What a day!"

"Behold the new Royal Wizard," Howl said gloomily. He considered feeding the scroll to Calcifer, but then rejected the idea. "My name is very black." He started to laugh.

"I did blacken your name!" Sophie said.

"I know," Howl said. "It was was my miscalculation. Now, how am I going to get to poor Mrs. Pentstemmon's funeral without the Witch knowing? Any ideas? Calcifer?"

The next morning, Howl went 'courting' Lily Angorian. She had a heart of stone.

"Dinner?" Howl wheedled. Lily shook her head. "Lunch? I'm busy on breakfast."

Lily shook her head. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go to some poor kid's house to tutor him." She ushered him out of her house and locked the door firmly. She went off in her car.

Howl went back home and tried to open the door.

"That's weird," Howl said, feeling confused. His magic worked most of the time. He bounced and jiggled the door. Nothing happened. It was like something was blocking the door. He stopped and prepared for a final blast.

BAM! He opened the door. Planks flew everywhere and Sophie protected herself with her arms.

Howl strode in and shut the door. In Wales, it was raining quite badly. He was soaking wet.

"That is a bit much Sophie!" Howl said, exasperated. "I do live here!"

"Where have you been?" Sophie asked.

"Standing in the rain," Howl said. He sneezed. His throat was starting to hurt. "None of your business. What were those planks in aid for?"

"I did them," Michael's voice said and to Howl's surprise, he came out of the broom cupboard. Calcifer was climbing slowly up to his logs. "The Witch-"

"You all must think that I don't know my business!" Howl said irritably. Had they forgotten that he was an all powerful wizard? "I have so many misdirection spells out that most people wouldn't find us at all. I give even the Witch three days. Calcifer, I need a hot drink."

Calcifer plunged back down into his logs. "You're wet!"

Howl turned to the only other person in the castle that could cook. "Sophie..."

Sophie folded her arms and looked at him pitilessly. "What about Lettie?"

Howl was even more indignant. "I'm soaked through. I should have a hot drink."

"As I said, what about Lettie Hatter?"

"Bother you then!" Howl snapped and shook himself like a dog. The water fell off of him like he was coated in wax and fell into a neat ring on the floor that Sophie would have to clean up later. He wasn't even damp. "The world is full of hard hearted woman, Michael," he said, ignoring Sophie. He never really loved Lettie. "I can name three without even stopping."

"One of which being Miss Angorian?" Sophie quipped.

Howl ignored her and continued to ignore Sophie the next morning, when she was busy sewing on his blue and silver suit.

In the middle of the morning, he was conjuring tissues by the half dozen. His throat hurt like fire and his nose ached too. His eyes hurt whenever he blinked, which was fairly often. Sophie seemed to be completely unsympathetic.

"Oh, why is it that whenever I go to Wales, I always come back with a cold?" Howl croaked, conjuring a whole wad of tissue. He distinctly heard Sophie snort. "Did you say something?"

"No, but I was thinking that people who run away from everything deserve every cold they get," Sophie said. "People who are appointed to do things by the king and instead go courting in the rain instead have only themselves to blame."

"You don't know everything I do, Mrs. Moralizer," Howl said, insulted. "Want me to write a list before I go out another time? I have _looked_ for Prince Justin. Courting isn't the only thing I do when I go out."

"When have you looked?" retorted Sophie.

"Oh how your ears flap and your long nose twitches!" Howl croaked and then told her. "And then Michael sold him another finding spell and a disguise spell["

Michael's eyes widened. "Was the man in the green uniform _Prince Justin_?"

"Yes, but I didn't mention that matter before," said Howl, "because the King might've thought that you should have the sense to sell him another dud. I had a conscience about it." Howl glared at Sophie with his red-rimmed eyes. "Conscience. Notice that word, Mrs. Longnose. I had a conscience." Howl glowered at her. "I feel ill," he announced. "And I am going to go to bed." He tottered to the stairs, where he stubbed his toe. It hurt. His head was feeling dizzy. "Bury me beside Mrs. Pentstemmon."

He went into his room and sat staring at the ceiling. Presently, he started to feel bored. "Help me! I'm dying of neglect up here!"

Michael ran up and Howl wanted lemons and honey, a book, and then cough mixture. And then he needed a spoon to take the cough mixture, and then with nose drops, throat pastilles, gargle, pen, paper, three more books, and an infusion of willow bark that Howl _knew_ that they had somewhere in the house. Then he wanted bacon sandwiches for lunch.

"Honestly!" he could hear Sophie say from downstairs.

Then Howl asked if Michael could go to Market Chipping and get a silver shovel. It was essential in moving the castle.

Howl was feeling bored again, but he was fairly certain that Sophie wouldn't come, but soon, the boredom became unbearable. So he began hacking and sneezing and wailing tenfold.

Soon, Sophie came, looking irritated. "Well, what is it?" she asked, hobbling inside.

Howl folded his hands serenely. "I'm dying of boredom," he said pathetically. "or maybe just dying." He looked at his magic window and then bet himself that he could distract Sophie from the window all the time she was here.

Sophie felt his forehead. Her hand was cool against the heat of his skin. "You do have a bit of a fever," she admitted.

Howl was a little disappointed. Only fever? "I'm delirious. Spots are crawling before my eyes."

"Those are spiders," Sophie said. "Why can't you cure yourself with a spell?"

"Because there is no cure for a cold," Howl explained. Obviously that was it. He had to admit, he wanted a bit of attention instead of doling out attention to everyone else. "Things are going round and round in my head-or maybe my head is going round and round in things. I keep thinking of the terms of the witch's curse. I hadn't realized that she could lay me bare like that. It's a bad thing to be laid bare, even though the things that are true so far are all my own doing." Howl paused and looked at Sophie. She, on the other hand, looked very confused. "I keep waiting for the rest to happen."

"What things? Tell me where all the pasts years are?"

"Oh, I know that," said Howl, thinking that it was rather obvious. "My own or anyone else's. They're all there, just where they always were." As he explained, he could see that the confusion on Sophie's face was clearing. "The rest happened a long time ago."

"You mean the falling star and never being able to find a woman true and fair?" Sophie asked, raising her eyebrows. "I'm not surprised, the way you go on. Mrs. Pentstemmon told me you were going to the bad. She was right, wasn't she?" Howl was affronted. Had Mrs. Pentstemmon have no trust in him?

"I must go to her funeral if it kills me," Howl said sadly. He must. "Mrs. Pentstemmon always thought far too well of me. I think that I blinded her with my charm." A picture of Mrs. Pentstemmon on the bed flashed in front of his eyes and the tears flowed out of his eyes. Sophie was looking more concerned now.

"I was talking about the way you keep dropping ladies as soon as you've made them love you," Sophie said accusingly. "Why _do_ you do it?"

Howl pointed at the spiders spinning on his canopy of his bed. "That's why I love spiders so much. 'If at first you don't succeed, try, try, try, again.' I keep trying," he said with great sadness, still crying. "But I brought it on myself by making a bargain some years ago and I shall never love anyone properly now.

_Now_ Sophie looked concerned. "Now, um, you musn't cry," she said, but then looked around. Howl craned to see and saw that a red setter had padded it's way to her side and was pushing her. She grabbed its fur.

"What's that?" Howl asked, looking at it. It had miserable, melting eyes and was gazing around it in surprise.

"My new dog," Sophie said, still holding to the fur. The dog pushed her toward the window that had the backyard of Wales and then looked through the window. "Is that the place called Wales?"

Howl laughed and pounded his coverlet so dust climbed and he stopped crying. His laugh sounded like a croak. "Bother that dog!" he exclaimed in a hoarse voice. "I had a bet on with myself that I could keep you from snooping the entire time you were here!" he said. Apparently, it was the wrong thing to say. Sophie's face darkened.

"Oh, did you, now?" Sophie asked sweetly and Howl looked at her as she let go of the dog, apparently expecting something to happen. Nothing did. "So all that song and dance was just a game, was it?" she said. "I might've known!"

Howl laid back on the pillows, feeling very hurt and wronged. Was that what she thought of him? "Sometimes, you sound just like Megan."

"Sometimes," Sophie answered, her watery blue eyes angry and hurt, shooing the dog out ahead of her, "I understand how Megan got the way she is."


	12. In which Howl gets ready for a funeral

**Hi!**

**Thanks to everyone who reviews!**

**Okay, sorry that this took me a pretty long time to upload, but I hope so dearly that you like it anyway. **

**Please R&R if you do!**

**Me.**

As soon as Howl heard Michael, he worked his way downstairs.

"Well?" Howl asked Michael expectantly.

"I got everything," said Michael. "And the real piece of luck is that they're selling a hat stop down in Market Chipping! Do you think we could move the castle there?"

Howl saw Sophie sit upright and shot her a curious look. "It depends on how much it costs. I'm quite tempted to move the Porthaven entrance there," he said and frowned. "That won't be easy, because it'll mean moving Calcifer. Porthaven is where Calcifer really is. What do you say, Calcifer?"

Calcifer had become a pale shade of blue. "It will take a very careful operation to move me," he said. "I think you better leave me where I am."

The next day, Howl was in and out of bed all day. He cursed colorfully when he found out that Sophie had whitewashed over all the careful marks he had made when he first invented this castle. "Sophie, since you whitewashed all over the marks in Michael's room, can you tell me where they are?"

"No, I can't."

"Sophie, if we were to take the hat shop, what would we sell?"

Sophie frowned and looked at him. "Not hats. You can buy the shop, but not the business."

"Apply your fiendish mind to the matter. Or even think, if you know how." Howl marched off, leaving a sputtering Sophie sewing and swearing behind.

Five minutes later, he needed to come down again. "Sophie, have you many preferences about the other entrances? Where would you like us to live?"

"I'd like a nice house with lots of flowers," Sophie said petulantly and Howl nodded seriously.

"I see," he croaked and stumped away.

Then he dressed and put on the velvet cloak that turns the wearer into a red-bearded man. "You'll make your cold worse," Sophie warned him.

"I shall die and _then_ you'll be sorry," Howl said dramatically.

He walked along the paved alley of Market Chipping to the hat shop, where an elegant woman, married of course. She was Mrs. Smith.

"What a lovely hat shop," Howl said, meaning to be complementary. "I wonder who would be lucky enough to work in it?"

To his surprise, Mrs. Smith burst into tears.

The young woman beside her, who had darkish, fairish hair and gray-blue eyes put an arm around Mrs. Smith. "Calm down Mother," she said.

Mrs. Smith got ahold of herself. "You see, my real name is Hatter, and my daughter, Sophie Hatter, ran away a few months ago!" She started to sob again. "I'm just so worried!" she whispered.

Howls eyes opened wide. "And what does she look like?"

The other girl stepped forward. "She had reddish hair and greeny-blue eyes. She's taller than me, and is shyer. I'm Lettie by the way."

Howl tried not to blink too much. "Ah, so you're the one that my Michael is so infatuated with."

Lettie giggled. "Oh! Is Michael with you?" she asked, trying to look around Howl.

"No, sorry. But I'll tell him that you said hi," Howl told Lettie. Then he bought the shop and went home.

"I took the shop," Howl said, shedding the coat. He became himself again. "It's got a useful shed at the back and a house at the side and I took the lot. I'm not sure what I'll pay for it all, though."

"What about all the money you get if you find Prince Justin?" Michael asked, picking up the cloak and hanging it carefully in the closet.

"You forget that this entire operation is to_ not_ look for Prince Justin," Howl corrected. "We are going to vanish." He promptly went upstairs to his bedroom, got bored, started sneezing again. Michael raced up and down to get whatever Howl needed.

"Lettie says hi," Howl informed Michael.

"She does?" Michael asked, sounding delighted. "Where did you meet her?" His eyes darkened.

"No worries. I was buying the shop. She and her family owns it-and Sophie ran away. I guess that when the Witch made her like that, she got so terrified that she went away," Howl guessed.

Michael laughed. "Sophie-terrified? That's a first."

Howl nodded. "And that's all. Go back down and talk to Sophie. Make sure she doesn't ruin my blue and silver suit in anger."

"Oh, she won't," Michael promised.

Howl trailed downstairs in his brown quilt after a little while. "Being sick is dreary," he told the skull. "This is positively my last appearance. I forgot to say that Mrs. Pentstemmon is being buried tomorrow on her estate near Porthaven and I shall need this suit cleaned." He took out his gray and scarlet suit. Underneath, he was wearing his pajamas. "You're attending to the wrong suit," he told Sophie, dropping the gray and scarlet suit on her lap. "This is the one I like, but I haven't the energy to clean it myself." Truly, he did, but he was far too lazy and wished for someone to sympathize with him.

"Do you _really_ need to go to the funeral?" Michael asked anxiously.

Howl put his head nobly up. "I wouldn't even dream of staying away," he said in a dignified way. "Mrs. Pentstemmon made m the wizard I am. I have to pay my respects. It would be rude if I didn't."

"But your cold's worse!" Michael exclaimed.

At this, Sophie looked up from her sewing and uttered a snort. "He _made_ it worse," she said with a small laugh, "by getting up and chasing around certain ladies. Poor Miss Angorian!"

Howl glared at her through aching eyes. "I'll be all right," he said in his croakiest and hoarsest voice, "as long as I keep out of the sea wind. It's a bitter place, the Pentstemmon estate. The trees are all bent sideways and there is absolutely, positively no shelter for miles around."

Sophie snorted again.

"And what about the Witch?" Michael asked.

Howl slithered out of answering that one directly by saying, "I'll go in disguise-probably as another corpse." He trailed to the stairs.

"Then you'll need a winding sheet, and not this suit!" Sophie called after him. Howl sniffed and walked upstairs nobly. He went to bed and took a nap.

A light rustle disturbed him. He looked up and saw Sophie by the window. He was disorientated and sleepy and thought that it was still yesterday, but he bleakly thought where the dog was. He went out of bed. "Snooping again?" he asked when he was right beside her. Sophie jumped and looked around, a look of guilt on her face. In Wales, Gareth was throwing a red ball at Neil, who was standing with a bat and a look of suffering on his young face. "Teach me to keep off envy's stinging-that's all part of past years now. I love Wales, but it doesn't love me," Howl said sadly. "Megan is so full of envy because she's so respectable and I am not." Then he woke up and realized that it was not, indeed, yesterday and the dog was gone. "What are you doing?"

"Um, just putting out your suit for you," Sophie said and hastily went out.

Howl sat at his window for a bit longer, staring outside at Wales, the place that he loved, but the place that despised him. Mari presently came out and stole the ball from Gareth, who ran after her. When he caught her, he tickled her until she went, laughing to the ground, the ball squeezing out of her tiny hands. Neil also came up and laughed, a rare look of happiness on his face.

Then, Howl went to sleep.

His dreams were full of rubber balls bouncing up and down around him, hitting him on the face. The witch, Fiara, sat, her hands folded on her lap, in her child disguise. "I warned you!" she sang in a little, bell-like voice. "And now, you'll pay the pri-i-i-ice!"

Howl woke up in a cold sweat. He sat in his bed, panting a little, and then went to change into his silver-blue suit. It was morning and the usual clatter as Sophie cooked breakfast was already beginning downstairs.

When Howl changed, the blue suit began to grow. At first, Howl just thought he had gotten a bit skinnier, but as it grew even more, he realized that it was the result of an enlargement spell gone wrong mixed with Sophie.

"Sophie..." Howl said, opening the door. His voice was accusing.

The suit was huge. It filled his room and fought aside the spiders and mice. His arm was hidden in one of the ginormous sleeves and the other arm didn't even meet the other sleeve.

"Oh dear!" Michael said from where he was watching Calcifer on the bench. "Howl, it was my fault, I-"

"Your fault?" Howl asked. He might've laughed, but he was far too swamped in cloth and fabric. And a couple of buttons. "I can detect Sophie's hand a mile off. And there are several miles of this suit. Sophie dear, where is my..._other_ suit?"

Sophie handed him seven jagged pieces of the gray and scarlet suit.

Even with his magical abilities, Howl knew that the gray suit would never be the same even if he fixed it. "Well, that's something," he said drearily. "I was expecting it to be too small to see." He grabbed the pieces firmly. "I am now," he said, "going to get ready for the funeral. Please, both of you, refrain from going anything whatsoever while I do. I can tell that Sophie is in top form in the moment, and I want the room the usual size when I come back in." He was appeased at the look of anger on Sophie's face, laughed quietly to himself, and went to the bathroom. There, he hauled the silver and blue suit into the bathroom, hand over hand, until everything had disappeared into the bathroom.

There, he changed his hair to a glossy black that rivaled Lettie's, changed the silver and blue suit to small (Michael's spell had been very powerful, it took nearly a quarter of an hour to change it) changed that to black, and then made everything black in honor of Mrs. Pentstemmon. Sophie raised her eyes when he came out and with a flick of his fingers, the gray and scarlet suit was transported to a special spot in his room that he was fairly sure that no one would dare look in.

Howl beckoned to the red setter, intending to cast a spell. The setter backed away and Howl felt a bit irritated. Even a dog dared to disobey him! "I only want you where I can look at you," Howl reassured the dog in a cracking voice that sounded like Calcifer's. "Come here, pooch." He saw out of the corner of his eye, Sophie edging to the bathroom, evidently finding the gray and scarlet suit. "You won't find my other suit in the bathroom, Mrs. Snoop. You're not getting your hands on any of my clothes ever again."

Sophie stopped going toward the bathroom and watched.

"What do you think of this as a disguise?" Howl asked archly to Calcifer and flicked his tissue at him. Before the tissue went on Calcifer, he turned into a red setter. As he had hoped, the other dog was entirely surprised, and then started to growl, thinking that another dog had entered his territory.

_Mine_, the other dog growled.

Howl growled back playfully.

The two dogs started to circle each other and Howl let out a yelp as Sophie grabbed his tail and pulled him back. He saw that the other dog was getting pretty much the same treatment from Michael, so he changed himself back hastily. Sophie let out a surprised squeak and let go of Howl's coat.

"Good," Howl said and sneezed into another tissue. "if I can deceive another dog, then I can trick everyone else. No one at the funeral is going to notice a dog lifting its leg against the gravestones." He turned the door to blue-down and then was about to go out when Sophie said:

"Wait a moment," Sophie said, and Howl turned around. "If you're going to go to the funeral as a red setter, then why take all the trouble of getting yourself up in black?" Her wrinkled face was confused. Howl could see the fair young woman underneath though, shining out like a beacon and a tiny corner of his heart throbbed.

"Respect to Mrs. Pentstemmon," he said, opening the door. "She liked one to think of all the details."

He went out into the streets of Porthaven.


	13. In which the Witch battles Howl

**Sorry, this chapter is really short. The chapter in the book was really short, but the next one is going to be fairly long, I promise!**

Howl walked along to Mrs. Pentstemmon's Porthaven estate. When he got there, he changed into a red setter and walked along.

He stiffened.

A lovely young lady with rippling copper hair and big blue eyes dressed in a black was there. It was the Witch.

She bent down and patted his head. "Hello Howell," she said in a lovely voice.

"Fiara," Howl whispered.

Without a warning, she struck.

Howl was propelled into the ocean where he slammed into the air with a force so harsh that he used a bunch of magic just not to pass out.

"Brace yourself Calcifer!" he cried out loud to the fire demon. "She's found me!"

"You have to wait!" Calcifer roared just as Miss Angorian struck.

Howl made a ship bobbing in the water and sat on one of the clouds, frantically trying to remember what Mrs. Pentstemmon taught him when it came to dueling with other people. True, she hadn't ever really liked the fact that he liked to duel and curse, but he managed to squeeze some information out of her. Make more than one of yourself. A shriek distracted him. Mermaids were trying to climb up the harbor walls.

"Drat!" Howl said to himself quietly.

The witch was standing on the other cloud, her long flame-colored hair flying in the wind. Her black robes were swirling. She raised her hand and he felt magic building around her and he leapt out of the way, invisible, leaving a projection of himself standing on the cloud, still staring at the mermaids. The magic struck and the cloud where he was became flame. So he made a projection of himself on the boat that he himself had created only a few minutes ago. The witch became a flame colored bird, diving at the ship, but then the ship disappeared and the witch splashed into the sea.

Howl became a half cat and half sea lion and made three of them. The witch became a scalier version of him and made three of her. They raced after each other and Howl cast such a spell that he would go faster then her.

They went past the marshes and became eight black dots on the horizon. Howl thought about everyone and used a big part of his magic with a huge spell. A ball of pale fire trapped the witch and sent her flying away.

Howl gasped and raced away.

He went to a marsh where he dove right in. The magic fizzled off of him and he floated, barely keeping conscious. When he came out, he was tired, so he padded away, turning into a small black kitten and streaked to his place. As he did, he passed Sophie and Michael looking glum and sad (a red bearded man and a horse. They must've been wearing the magic cloaks), except for the red setter, who chased him. Howl ran to the doorstep, where he stopped and glared at it.

"Geroff!" Howl mewed at the red setter. "This is all I needed!"

Michael looked delighted, well, as delighted as a horse can look. "Howl!" he cried in joy. Even Sophie looked happy.

"And you both look absolutely ridiculous!" Howl said. "Open the door. I am exhausted." He sighed.

Howl crawled indoors and was rather worried to see that Calcifer was merely two flames. He crouched and tried to grow, and slowly, he did, into Howl.

"Did you kill the witch?" Michael said and took off the horse cloak, throwing it onto Sophie's chair. Sophie on the other hand, just stared at Howl until he felt rather self-conscious.

"No, I didn't," Howl said and sat in the chair. "All that on top of a cold!" he groaned, feeling very tired and weary. "Sophie, for pity's sake, take off that horrible red beard and find the bottle of brandy in the closet-unless you've drunk it or turned it into turpentine, of course." He leveled his eyes at Sophie, who took off her cloak and gave him the bottle and a glass with a look of concern. It felt good to be finally cared for, except Howl was too tired to revel in it. He drank one glass off, hardly feeling the burn in his throat, and dripped another on Calcifer carefully, who felt a bit better. Then he poured another one and started sipping it. His legs felt numb. Sophie and Michael were still staring at him expectantly. "Don't stand staring at me!" he said. "I don't know who won. The Witch is mighty hard to come at. She relies mostly on her fire demon and stays behind out of trouble. But I think we gave her something to think about, eh, Calcifer?"

"Her fire demon is old," Calcifer said. He was as tired as Howl. "I'm stronger as well as younger, but it knows things that I have never even thought of, Howl. The witch has had it for a hundred years. And it's half killed me!" Calcifer groaned. "You might've warned me."

Howl glared at the two flames. "I did! You know everything I do," he said, thinking about Miss Angorian, or Lily. You do know that Miss Angorian is the fire demon? Howl asked Calcifer. Calcifer looked away and Howl's eyes narrowed.

"This won't do!" Howl declared after they ate. Food revived them all, but the red setter looked disappointed at the lack of dog food, Howl thought. "Look sharp, Michael. The Witch knows that we're somewhere in Porthaven. We're not only going to have to move the castle, and the Kingsbury entrance now. I shall have to transfer Calcifer to the house that goes with that hat shop."

"MOVE me?" Calcifer said. He looked scared.

"That's right," Howl said grimly. He finished the brandy and sat there, feeling very tired and cowardly. "You have a choice between Market Chipping..." He narrowed his eyes at Calcifer again, "...or the Witch. Come on, now, Calcifer. Don't go _now_ and be difficult." he said, exasperated.

"Curses!" wailed Calcifer and dove to the bottom of his grate.

Howl chuckled.


	14. In which the house is moved

**Author here!**

**Me: He-llo everyone! Today we have an exclusive from Howl Pendragon? Jenkin? Sylvester Oak? Ha!**

**Please scroll down if you don't want to read this. **

**Howl: Hello.**

**Me: So what do you think about the book so far?**

**Howl: I think that you make me sound too kind.**

**Me: You bet I did. You sound a lot crueler and selfish in the real book.**

**Howl: Um, thanks.**

**Me: No problemo. So, here's the question that we're all dying to ask: Are you in love with Sophie Hatter?**

**Howl: *looks nervously around* Calcifer! Get back here with my heart!**

**Me: Hey, wait up! *Runs after Howl***

**The dialogue is, as always, the esteemed DWJ! Enjoy this chapter.**

Howl and Michael dashed about, making chalk marks on the ground and calling measurements to each other. They had to chalk every corner in the entire house, but the oddly shaped place in the bathroom gave them a fair challenge, but in the end, they marked it as well as they could. Howl shoved the dog aside when the dog was blocking his way, and then Michael led Sophie to a place where they could go so that Michael could make a five pointed star inside a circle on the floor. Then Howl had to push Sophie and the dog aside so that he could make signs in and around the star. So they went to sit on the stairs, which was completely fine by Howl.

Howl raced out into the yard. "What are we going to sell, Michael?" he asked, furrowing his brow. Michael shrugged and made a small noise in the back of his throat. So Howl raced back inside, rejuvenated by the brandy, and asked Sophie, who said flowers, so Howl called Michael inside and took a small pail of a paint that changed continually. So he dipped the paintbrush in once and painted the blue blob, the Porthaven entrance, yellow. He dipped again and painted the Kingsbury entrance (the green blob) purple. He painted the Moving Castle entrance orange, but left the Wales entrance. He had to leave a loophole for the Witch that would make him angry enough to defeat her.

"Which suit is that really?" Sophie asked.

"I've forgotten. Don't interrupt. The difficult part is coming up." Howl rushed the paint pot back to the bench and picked up a small jar of powder. He called for Michael, who came running with the silver shovel. Howl chalked signs of power on the handle and blade and sprinkled powder from the jar onto it. Then, he put a pinch of the same powder on each of the star tips, and tipped all the remaining into the middle. "Stand clear, Michael," he said warningly. "Everyone, _stay clear__. _Are you ready Calcifer?"

Calcifer emerged from his logs with his orange eyes terrified looking. He came out in a long, thing flame. "As ready as I shall ever be," he said apprehensively. "You know, this could kill me, don't you?"

"Look on the bright side; it could be me it kills," Howl said grimly. "Hold on tight. One, two, three." He dug the shovel into the grate and nearly dropped it. The wood handle turned hot, although it didn't burn. For a second, he juggled it gently to get it under Calcifer, and then he raised it. Michael was holding his breath. "Done it!" Howl said triumphantly. Howl stood up and turned around, carrying Calcifer on the shovel. The room filled with smoke and some of it tickled his throat. "Won't be long!" Howl choked, but he had to shut his mouth and tried not to cough. The shovel wobbled and Calcifer looked even more terrified. Then, Howl recovered and the tickling feeling in his throat disappeared. He took a careful step into the five pointed star and turned slowly around.

Nothing happened to Howl, but Michael, Sophie and the dog were obviously uncomfortable. The room rocked and settled as Howl set Calcifer back into his logs and the lines of the house next to the shop appeared. Sophie was staring around in unabashed amazement, and Howl saw that the smoke had made her eyes tear up, or did the room make it?

"Have you done it, Calcifer?" Howl coughed.

"I think so," said Calcifer. He looked the same. "You should check, though."

A few months back, Howl had gone to the edge of the Waste and made flowers grow there. He had thought it to be his secret garden, but Calcifer knew about it. Howl went up and opened to the door yellow-blob down. Outside was Market chipping. He nodded at Calcifer, impressed. Then he turned it orange down. The scenery was one that he didn't know. "Where is this?" Howl asked.

"An empty mansion at the end of the valley," Calcifer said. He look rather defensive of his magical skills. "It's the nice house that you asked me to find. It's quite fine." The sun was lighting the stone statues with orange light; it was sunset."

"I'm sure that it is," Howl said. "I just hope that the real owners won't mind." He shut the door and turned the knob purple down. "Now, for the moving castle."

It was dusky out there, and Howl's garden was lush with flowers. Roses were here, lilies there. Shiny white flowers, dark purple irises, every beautiful flower that Howl thought of was there. Sophie stood up and was halfway across the room and Howl watched, amused. "No, your long nose stays out of there until tomorrow," Howl said. "That part's right on the edge of the Waste. Well done, Calcifer. Perfect. A nice house and lots of flowers, just as I asked." Howl dropped the shovel and winced as the large clang hurt his ears. He went to bed and slept.

The next morning, Howl woke up early and went to Wales. He went to Mari.

"Hey caraid! How's it going?" h asked Mari when she came out

Mari giggled. "Uncle Howell! Can I be your flower girl?" she asked.

Howl laughed. "For what? I'm not getting married."

"But what about Sophie?" Mari asked.

Howl quieted and turned quite pale. "Well, I have to go. But I got you a present." He took out a lilac flower and pressed it into Mari's tiny hand. "I'll be back, though." He headed back to his place and saw that Sophie was scrubbing the chalked signs off of the floor. "Work, work, work," he said, stepping over Sophie as she scrubbed.

Sophie looked up and her eyes went immediately to his hair. He knew what she was looking at; he had turned his hair fair again. Howl thought of the curse and he picked the skull out of the sink. "Alas, poor Yorick!" Howl proclaimed. "She heard mermaids, so it follows there is something rotten in the state of Denmark. I have caught an everlasting cold, but luckily, I am terribly dishonest." He coughed. Sophie did not look convinced.

"What's the matter? Miss Angorian not going well?" Sophie asked disapprovingly. Her eyes followed the skull as he set it down back into the sink.

Howl was rather hurt that she thought that he was always going to see Miss Angorian, but then realized that most everyone thought that wherever he went, he always courted someone somewhere. "Dreadfully," he lied. "Lily Angorian has a heart like boiled stone." The Witch's heart. "Michael!" he called. "Food! Work!"

After breakfast, which was, as always, bacon and eggs, Michael and Howl built an archway in the broom cupboard that led to the shop. They called for Sophie to come and she came, with a broomstick for some reason. Howl frowned at it. They had already cleaned up. Howl led her to the shop, but she didn't say a thing.

"I found the flowers in the workshed out in the back," Howl offered, trying to impress Sophie. "Come and look at the outside."

He opened the door and Sophie hobbled out into the street. The shop had been painted green and yellow. Curly letters over the window said H. JENKINS FRESH FLOWERS DAILY.

"Changed your mind about common names huh?" was all Sophie said.

As they went to the the house, Sophie looked around. Howl was feeling very hurt. "I think it's all very nice," was her only compliment.

"Really?" Howl said coldly. Sophie sighed.

Howl opened the door to purple down, and at last got the praise that he wanted. Sophie was delighted by all the flowers and was intoxicated by the scent of all of them. She seemed to forget her gruffness, and Howl smiled to himself.

"You see," Howl said and swung out an arm. "We can cut flowers by the armload every morning and sell them in Market Chipping with the dew still on them."

There were maybe a thousand flowers, and Sophie seemed elated by all of them.

"If you come out here alone, bring your stick to test the ground with," Howl advised. Sophie nodded distantly, fingering a delicate blue morning glory. "And don't go any further that way." He pointed where the Witch of the Waste was, southeast."

"Who made these flowers, right on the edge?" Sophie asked, gazing into the distance. Howl looked as well, but at her. Luckily, she didn't notice. He dropped his gaze and looked at the castle.

"Wizard Suliman started It a year ago," said Howl. "I think his notion was to make the Waste flower and abolish the Witch that way. He brought hot springs to the surface and got it growing. He was doing very nicely until the Witch caught him." Howl frowned at the rose that he was carefully looking at to avoid Sophie's face. In the dewy air, her features had blurred until they were way younger. Of course, the charm only worked for him, so only he could see her.

"Mrs. Pentstemmon said some other name," Sophie said thoughtfully. "He came from the same place as you, didn't he?"

"More of less," said Howl with a shrug. "I never met him though. I came and had another go at the place a few months later. It seemed a good idea. That is how I came to meet the Witch. She objected to it."

"Why?" asked Sophie.

Howl stole another look at her and carefully peeled away the charm for a split second. Her reddish-blond hair jumped out at him and so did her greeny-blue eyes. They reminded him of someone. The castle waited for them. "She likes to think of herself as a flower," Howl explained. "A solitary orchid blooming in the Waste. Pathetic, really."

Sophie followed Howl inside. "Won't the Witch know you're here?"

"I tried to do the thing she'd least expect," Howl said modestly.

"And are you trying to find Prince Justin?" Sophie asked accusingly.

Howl slithered out of answering that question by remembering that Michael needed to learn how to do a spell and ran away yelling for him.

**Me: *Finally tackled Howl* You haven't answered my question! You just slithered out.**

**Howl: Gee, um, you all know that my heart belongs to Miss Angorian. **

**Me: Nice try. Because you are the main character of my story and if I kill you, my story is dead, I shalt be nice and let you go. Readers, the next chapter is coming either today...or tomorrow. On Saturday and Sunday, perhaps Friday, there will be no new updates. Thank you, everyone who read and reviewed my story! You guys make my day a little brighter!**


	15. In which some of the curse comes true

**Hiya!**

**So, today, I decided to give you all another treat (good dogs) and interview Sophie for you. Howl ran off after I interviewed him, which miffed me a little, but at least we can squeeze the truth out of Sophie! Right Sophie?**

**Sophie: Uhhhhh**

**Me: So, how do you like being in my story?**

**Sophie: It's pretty fun, ya know, and I like the dog.**

**Me: In chapter 16, you're going to have your own green slime fit!**

**Sophie: I am? Uh-oh.**

**Me: Yeah, except with something else. You got mad at Howl. **

**Sophie: What a surprise. **

**Me: We asked Howl this question, and now it's time to ask you it. Do you love Howl?**

**Sophie: What did Howl say?**

**Me: That, madame, is strictly confidential. Is that a yes?**

**Sophie: Oh gee, will you look at that? Michael splattered paint on the floor. *walks away, looks back, starts running***

**Me: *chasing after her* Everyone just has to run away. **

The next day, Michael, Howl and Sophie opened the shop.

"We can't wear our nice clothes!" Sophie argued with Howl. "They'll get all dirty and muddy and...uck!"

"Wearing nice clothes for the first day shall promote the shop," Howl countered. "After that, I don't care if you wear a leotard with a pink tutu."

Sophie seemed to have no retort to that, and Howl won this war.

Sophie's dog followed her everywhere, and wouldn't let her talk to Howl without checking in on her, Howl noted with a dry laugh. Puppy love.

Howl got out the seven league boots for two of the buckets, and Sophie dug up a collection of moldy buckets that she scoured until they shone. Howl disappeared to the black blob every day, where he found out more about Miss Angorian.

In a stroke of luck, he found a file of Miss Angorian. Of course, he had to charm the elderly librarian to give him it, but he managed to succeed, and poured over it. When he came back in the afternoon with a carefully constructed dreamy look on his face. Sophie was always so nosy, asking him which suit it really was, but he didn't see the point in telling her, so he didn't.

Sometimes he helped in the shop, but then the he saw the Witch passing by every now and then and spent long hours in the shed casting spells that made the Witch not see Sophie whenever she passed the shop, spells that made the Witch go away from wherever the place resided.

Coraline was an old friend of Howl's, one of the only pretty and young ladies that he didn't accost. He met her when Mrs. Pentstemmon introduced them to each other.

"I need your help, Coraline," Howl groaned.

Coraline tilted her head, her long shining auburn hair falling past her shoulders and her hazel eyes glowing. "Are you finally in love?"

Coraline was one of the only people who had figured out that Calcifer had Howl's heart.

Howl was aghast. "No! Why does everyone keep thinking that?"

"Because you only need help in some stuff and beside! I think it would be terribly romantic if you were in _love_," Coraline cooed.

"Oh come on!" Howl said. "It's about the Witch of the Waste. Her curse has finally caught up."

Coraline nodded. "I saw you two battling. It was pretty intense." Coraline had the kind of high voice that people might think would be annoying, but matched her. Howl frowned and rubbed his aching neck. Then he sneezed.

"Everyone thinks that I'm courting the Witch's fire demon, Miss Angorian. Even Sophie." Howl sneezed sadly.

Coraline pounced on the opportunity. "Aha! So you're in love with Sophie!"

"What? NO!" Howl said, unnerved that everyone kept on saying it."

"What surprises me is that you're in love with a hat shop girl," Coraline said and adjusted her hat, which was a modish black and white. "I mean, she was so shy when I bought this hat from her."

Howl nodded. "Sophie-shy? That's a first."

"But she is rather pretty, and her sisters are lovely as well," mused Coraline.

Howl stood up and looked at the time. "I have to go, Coraline. Thanks for...letting me rant at you." He kissed her on the cheek in pure sisterly affection and walked away. Coraline shrugged and kept on cooking.

When he arrived back home, everyone was asleep. He was walking past Calcifer when he flared up and whispered harshly, "Howl!"

Howl backed up. "Calcifer! It's late. You should be going to sleep."

"But I need to talk to you," Calcifer said his his cracking voice.

"What?" asked Howl, feeling irritated.

"Sophie is a witch," Calcifer said.

Howl nodded. "Yeah, yeah-wait-WHAT?"

"She's a witch. She can make things do what she wants by screaming or yelling at them." Calcifer crackled evilly. "I'm surprised that you haven't figured that out, since you're so madly in love with her."

"Be quiet!" Howl muttered and cast the spell that he always did. "You know that she's not in love with me!"

"I'm not surprised. You've courted her sister-"

"You don't know everything I do!" Howl said fiercely. "For your information, I only courted Lettie because I got information from her about Sophie! It was pure exploitation!"

"YOU COURTED HER SISTER!" Calcifer repeated loudly, "you've enchanted every woman in the shop that wanted to buy just a flower for a lapel or something. You won't show her what suit you're wearing and you-wait a minute." A purple grin spread across Calcifer's face. "You courted dear Lettie because you cared about Sophie? Why, this conversation is too good to be true!"

"Shut up!" Howl said angrily. "I don't care for Sophie!"

"You know you doooooo," Calcifer sang.

"I hate you," Howl said, his face turning red.

"I know that. Now go to bed, cause you need to look _beautiful _for Sophie Hatter, extraordinaire of the extraordinary." Calcifer crackled even more with mean laughter. "Ooh, this is way too good!"

Howl stormed off to bed without one word.

The past few days, Sophie had been growing new plants and was waiting to see what one would do. When Howl saw her going, his curiosity was sparked and he decided to see what the new plant looked like. Michael followed as well.

Howl looked over Sophie's shoulder. There was an orchid that looked as though someone had mangled it. It was one of the ugliest flowers that Howl had ever seen, and by the way that Sophie looked at him, then the flower, he was hoping that it did not represent him. "What is that _thing_?" he asked in disbelief, poking one of the petals. "If you were expecting, let's say, and ultra-violet violet or-" He cast his mind around for something suitably good. "An infra red geranium, you got it wrong, Mrs. Mad scientist."

"It looks to me like a squashed baby-flower," Michael remarked.

Howl shot him an alarmed look and picked up the flower. He carefully unrooted it and then saw that Sophie had grown it out of a mandrake root. "I might've guessed," Howl said weakly. "It's a mandrake root. Sophie strikes again. You do have a touch, don't you, Sophie?" Howl put the plant back, feeling rather dizzy, and went away feeling weak. All that was left was a wind to advance an honest mind.

Howl went out into Market Chipping that day and gasped in the air.

Fiara was there, next to him, in the form of a young lady with blue eyes and blond hair that curled to her waist. "Fair fight," she said, a smile curling her lips.

Howl glared at her. At this moment, he did not feel like being his usual courteous self. "What do you want?"

Fiara held up her small hand and twirled her parasol. "Now, now, no need for another fight. Besides, I'm not sure that your Calcifer can handle it." Her sky blue eyes twinkled. "I see that more of my curse has come true, and by someone that I, myself, cursed."

Howl felt a sense of rage come over him. "Fiara, I know that I jilted you, and I'm sorry, but why do you have to curse me? And what the hell did Sophie do to you?"

A man passing by hit him on the shoulder. "Don't say such language in front of a lady!" he said, looking thoroughly scandalized.

Howl muttered something and rubbed his shoulder. "I'm warning you Fiara," he said. "If Sophie dies because of your stupid spell, you'll have me to speak to."

Fiara dimpled. "Is someone truly in love this time?"

Howl was angry. "Argh!" he said and cursed. He went away.

**Me: Well, Sophie is a lot faster, and trapped herself in a cubbyhole where she flatly refuses to speak. Remember, the dialogue mostly belongs to Dianna Wynne Jones. Bye, and see you next time. **

**BTW, I would love it if people reviewed! :D**

**TELL THE WHOLE WORLD ABOUT THIS STORY! MWA HA HA- (hack hack) Dang it, I'm coming down with a cold.**


	16. In which Sophie has a green slime fit

**Hey guys!**

**So there's two chapters left this story, and I love this chapter because guess what?**

**SOPHIE HAS A GREEN SLIME FIT!  
Except with weed killer. **

**Yahoo!**

**So, for this and the next two chapter, I shall be interviewing people. This time, it is Calcifer. Next, it will be Michael. **

**So please! R&R! This is my longest chapter, and my favorite. **

**Me: Hello Calcifer. **

**Calcifer: I don't say hello. **

**Me: Okay then. So, how do you like your part in the story so far?**

**Calcifer: You make Howl too sweet and I don't appear so much. **

**Me: Ohhh-kay then. *looks at camera and shrugs* How are you?**

**Calcifer: I don't talk about my feelings. **

**Me: Come on! This is an interview, man. Okay then. Fine. We asked Sophie and Howl this question, yet they ran away. So all of us are hoping that either you or Michael can answer this question. Does Sophie like Howl? Does Howl looooove Sophie?**

**Calcifer: *crackles with laughter.* Oh, god. Sophie talks inconsistently about Howl when he's not here, and you see, whenever Howl talks to Sophie, his heart gets a little bigger. It makes me laugh. **

**Me: *cheering* YAHOO! SO THEY LIKE EACH OTHER!**

**Calcifer: What ever.**

**Me: So the dialogue is the honored Dianna Wynne Jones. Oh, and, I'm thinking about doing Castle in the Air and House of Many Ways from Howl's point of view. Please either private message me or review telling me if I should-or if I shouldn't. **

**:D**

When Howl sauntered in at the end of the afternoon, Sophie was talking to flowers. When he entered, the little bell tinkled, and Sophie gave him a fierce glare. If looks could kill, he was forty feet under by now.

"Merciful heavens!" exclaimed Howl. "I think that turned me to stone!" When not even a smile played on Sophie's face, he frowned. "What is ever the matter?"

"What suit are you wearing?" Sophie snarled.

Howl looked down at his black suit, puzzled. "Does it matter?"

"_Yes!_" Sophie said fiercely. "And don't give me that about being in mourning!" she added when Howl opened his mouth. "Which one is it really?"

Howl held up one trailing sleeve and took off the spell on that sleeve. The blackness ran down to the tip of his sleeve and the top of his arm, leaving a black suit with a blue and silver sleeve-with the top and bottom seemingly dipped in tar. "That one," he said.

Sophie looked even more annoyed. She grumped wordlessely.

"Sophie!" Howl said in his most laughing, pleading, _flirtatious_ way.

A dog pushed his way into the shop from the yard door. Howl stared. It wasn't a red setter. It was an Old English sheepdog. So he said it. "You've got an Old English sheepdog now," he said observantly, rather glad of the distraction. He was rather frightened that he flirted with Sophie. "Two dogs are going to take a lot of feeding."

Sophie looked as if she would explode. "There was only one dog!" she said, exasperated. "He's under a spell."

"He is?" Howl said, and when he squinted hard, he could see the spell hovering around the dog. He set off toward the dog. This alarmed the dog and he backed away towards the yard again, but Howl was faster and caught two handfuls of coarse hair that scratched the raw marks on his skin that he hadn't remembered being there. "So he is!" Howl said and whirled around to Sophie, who was standing cooly behind the counter. "Sophie..." he said accusingly and warningly, "what do you mean by not telling me about this? This dog is a man!" He bleakly realized that of course, Sophie had known this. "And he's in terrible state!" Sophie looked at him closely and seemed to realize that finally, she had pushed Howl over the end. He was truly mad.

"You could've noticed for yourself," Sophie grumped. She glared at him with piercing eyes and with her anger, some of the spell slipped. Her white hair flashed reddish for a split second and her hunched body turned youthful. Then she slipped it back on. "Anyway, the dog didn't want to-"

Howl blinked, but he was still too angry to listen. "And so I would have done if I hadn't had things on my mind," he said, feeling very exasperated. "Come on, I want you in front of Calcifer," he said to the dog sternly. The dog braced all of his four shaggy feet. Howl lugged at it, but it was too heavy and the dog stepped on his foot, which hurt. "Michael!" He yelled for the apprentice.

As Michael and Howl dragged the reluctant dog up the broom cupboard and into the house, Howl questioned, "And did you know this dog was really a man?"

Michael looked shocked. "He's not, is he?"

"Then I let you off and just blame Sophie," Howl said, hauling the dog in front of Calcifer. "Anything like this is always Sophie!" He laughed a bit to himself, and then his bad mood returned. "But _you_ did, didn't you, Calcifer?" he asked accusingly at the flickering blue/green flame that grinned cockily at him.

To his, well, not really happiness, Calcifer retreated until his back was against the chimney. "You never asked," he said.

"Do I have to ask you?" Howl said, feeling very disgusted by them. "All right, I should have noticed myself, I agree. But you disgust me, Calcifer! Compared with the way the Witch treats her demon, you live a revoltingly easy life." And now he felt just mad. "All I ask in return is that you tell me things I need to know. This is twice you've let me down! Now help me get this creature to its own shape this minute!" Everyone was staring at him in horror and Sophie a little appraisingly. Howl had never been this mad before, but this dog was in terrible shape. Another day in that dog outfit and the spell would've been permanent.

"Fine," Calcifer said sulkily.

The dog tried to get away, but Howl and Michael wouldn't let it. Then Howl shoved it so it went up on it's hind legs, even though it fought to get down. "What's this silly creature holding out for?" Howl asked, his heart pounding under Calcifer. "This feels like one of the Witch of the Waste's again, doesn't it?" His eyes opened wide and he snuck a look at Sophie, who was watching carefully.

"Yes. There are several layers of it," Calcifer crackled.

"Let's get the dog part off anyway," Howl said and panted. Calcifer surged to a deep roaring blue and the doggy shape faded away, leaving a ginger haired man in a crumpled brown suit. He had a face totally lacking in personality. "Now, who are you, my friend?" asked Howl.

The ginger haired man felt his face and his eyebrows drew together in confusion. "I-I'm not sure."

Calcifer subsided into a regular flame. "The most recent name that you've answered to was Percival."

"Did I?" Percival asked.

Howl shrugged. "So we'll call you Percival for now." He sat him in the chair. "Sit there, take it easy, and tell us what you do remember. By the magic around you, you've been in the Witch's clutches for some time."

"Yes," Percival said, rubbing his neck. "She took my head off. I-I remember being on a shelf, looking at the rest of me."

Michael looked astonished. "But you'd be dead!"

"Not necessary," Howl said, thinking about his lessons with Mrs. Pentstemmon. "You haven't gotten to that sort of witchcraft yet, Michael, but I could take any piece of you that I wanted and leave the rest of you alive, if I went about it the right way," Howl said, then frowned. The poor man looked like he would faint. "But I'm not sure the Witch put this one back together properly."

Calcifer, who was evidently trying to prove to Howl that he, indeed, did work hard, said: "This man is incomplete and he has parts from some other man as well."

Percival looked even more distraught.

"Don't alarm, him Calcifer," Howl reprimanded the fire demon, who sulked again. "He must feel bad enough already. Do you know why the Witch took your head off, my friend?" he asked Percival.

"No," said Percival. "I don't remember anything.

Howl heard Sophie snort.

Michael's eyes widened. "Did you ever answer to the name of Justin-or Your Royal Highness?"

Sophie snorted again, and Howl felt his anger lifting. "No. The Witch called me Gaston, but that isn't my name," replied Percival, looking around.

"Don't crowd him, Michael. And don't make Sophie snort again. The mood she's in, she'll bring down the whole castle next time," he said humorously. To his surprise, Sophie stormed away to the hat shop, so he followed her. Sophie was looking at her 'daffodils'? They looked like wet brown things coming out of a bucket full of the most poisonous-smelling liquid ever.

"Oh confound it all!" Sophie yelled.

Howl sniffed the bucket. "You seem to have some rather efficient weed-killer here," he said. "How about trying it on those weeds in the drive of the mansion?" he offered.

"I will!" Sophie said angrily. "I feel like killing something!" Howl backed away and watched as she slammed around looking for a watering can. When she found it, she went out. Howl followed her and saw that Michael had given Percival a guitar.

"You go with her, Percival," Howl said and rubbed his neck. "The mood she's in, she'll be killing all the trees too."

The minute Sophie and Percival went out, Howl rushed to the bench and hastily assembled a listening in spell. Then, he started to change the mansion. Michael began to help.

"Huh!" Sophie's voice emitted from the listening charm. "I think the least Howl could do is make the place look a bit more lived in! But no! He's far too busy gadding off to Wales! Don't just stand there Percival! Pour some of that stuff into the can and then come along behind me."

Howl changed the mansion and kept on listening. "You see," he told Michael. "I have a hunch that Percival knows more that he tells us, and that he'll tell Sophie instead of us, because you know, Sophie will bully it out of him sooner or later."

True to his word, Sophie started to bully Percival.

Along with splashes of liquid as Sophie started to kill the liquid, they also heard Sophie accusing Percival. "You remember a great deal more than you let on," she said. "What did the Witch really want with you? Why did she bring you into the shop with her that time?"

"He must have been there when Sophie was cursed!" Calcifer said, from where he was leaning outside of the hearth.

"She wanted to find out about Howl," Percival replied.

Howl nodded. That made sense.

"Howl?" said Sophie, sounding confused. "But you didn't know him, did you?"

"No, but I must have known something at that time," Percival explained. "It had to do with that curse that she put on him. But I have no idea what it was. She took it, you see, after we came to the shop. I feel bad about that. I was trying to stop her knowing, because a curse is an evil thing, and I did it by thinking about Lettie. Lettie was just in my head. I don't know how I knew her, because Lettie said she'd never seen me when I went to Upper Folding. But I knew all about her-enough so that when the Witch made me tell her about Lettie, I said she kept a hat shop in Market Chipping. So the Witch went there to teach us both a lesson. And you were there. She thought you were Lettie. I was horrified, because I didn't know Lettie had a sister."

"And she turned you into a dog straight after that?" Sophie asked, along with more splish-splashes of water.

"Just outside the town," Percival admitted. "As soon as I'd let her know what she wanted, she opened the carriage door and said, 'off you run. I'll call you when I need you.' And I ran, because I could feel some sort of spell following me. It caught up with me just as I'd got to the farm, and the people there saw me change into a dog and thought I was a werewolf and tried to kill me. I had to bite one to get away. But I couldn't get rid of the stick and it stuck in the hedge when I tried to get through."

"Then you went to Mrs. Fairfax's?" Sophie said.

"Yes, I was looking for Lettie. They were both very kind to me," Percival said. "Even though they'd never seen me before. And Wizard Howl kept visiting to court Lettie. Lettie didn't want him, and she asked me to bite him to get rid of him, until Howl suddenly began asking her about you and-"

"_WHAT_?" Sophie screeched.

Howl turned red. Calcifer and Michael stared at hi.

"He said, 'I know someone called Sophie who looks a little like you.' And Lettie said, 'That's my sister,' without thinking." Percival sounded sheepish. "The day you came there, she was being nice to Howl in order to find out how he knew you. Mrs Fairfax said she'd seen you. She was so upset that I managed to turn into a man long enough to say I'd go and keep an eye on you."

Sophie growled through the listening spell. "Bother Lettie! It's very kind of her and I love her dearly for it. I've been quite worried about her. But I do NOT need a watchdog." Sophie snorted.

"Yes you do," said Percival. "Or you did. I arrived far too late."

There was a large splash and Percival squeaked. There was a pattering of feet. "Curse everyone!" Sophie cried. "I'm done with the lot of you. Too late?" she muttered. "What nonsense. Howl's not only heartless-he's impossible! Besides, I am an old lady!"

Howl sat back. "Well, my hunch was correct. Percival knows a lot more then he let on." He stretched.

"And all those things I told the king are true!" Sophie cried out from the listening spell. "Oh confound that gray and scarlet suit! I refuse to believe that I was the one that got caught in it. Anyway, Howl doesn't like me?"

Calcifer gave a low crackle of mean laughter.

There was a thump, thump, thump from the listening spell. "Is something wrong?" Percival asked.

"Quiet! It's that dratted scarecrow again!" Sophie gasped. Howl sat straight up. "We're not here," she said. "You can't find us. Go away. Go away fast, fast, fast!"

"But why-" Percival started.

"I told you that she was a witch," Calcifer said triumphantly.

"Shut _up!_ Not here, not here," Sophie said desperately from the spell. "That's right. We're not here. Go away fast. Twice as fast, three times as fast, ten times as fast. Go _away_!" The thumps receded.

"What's wrong with it?" Percival asked. "Why didn't you want it?"

Howl looked up and hastily started to disassemble the spells. Michael started to as well, but they weren't fast enough. Sophie slammed through the door, looking thunderous and angry. Calcifer plunged down among his logs.

"Keep behind me, Michael," Howl said warningly.

"Eavesdropper!" Sophie accused. "Snooper!"

"What's wrong?" Howl asked cooly. "Do you want the shutters black and gold too?"

"You barefaced-" Sophie stuttered. "That wasn't the only thing you heard! You-you-How long have you known I was-I am-"

"Under a spell?" asked Howl, raising an eyebrow. "Well, now-"

"I told him," Michael said, peering nervously around Howl. "My Lettie-"

"YOU!" Sophie shrieked.

"The other Lettie let the cat out of the bag too," Howl said quickly. He wasn't going to let Sophie kill Michael. "You know she did. And Mrs. Fairfax talked a great deal that day. There was a time when everyone seemed to be telling me. Even Calcifer did-when I asked him. But do you honestly think I don't know my own business well enough not to spot a strong spell like that when I see one? I had several goes at taking it off of you when you weren't looking. But nothing seemed to work. I took you to Mrs. Pentstemmon, hoping she could do something, but she evidently couldn't. I came to the conclusion that you liked being in disguise."

"DISGUISE?" Sophie yelled.

Howl laughed, feeling surprisingly humorous, despite the fact that Sophie was glaring murderously at him. "It must me, since you're doing it yourself. What a strange family you are! Is your name really Lettie too?"

That evidently pushed Sophie over the top. When Percival came in, she took the half full bucket from him and threw it at Howl. Howl ducked and Michael dodged. The weed killer went up in a sheet of sizzling green flame from floor to ceiling. The bucket clanged into the sink, where all the remaining flowers died instantly.

"Ow!" said Calcifer from under his logs. "That was strong!"

Howl picked out the skull from under the smoking remains of the flower. "Of course it was strong," he said and dried it on his sleeve. "Sophie never does things by the halves." As Howl wiped the skull, it became bone white. His sleeve faded to brown. He looked at it ruefully.

Sophie gave a grump and sat on her chair.

"Sophie," Howl said pleadingly. "I did my best. Haven't you noticed that your aches and pains have been better lately? Or did you enjoy having those too?" Sophie did not answer, and Howl was a little hurt. So he turned to Percival. "I'm glad to see that you have some brain after all," he said. "You had me worried.

"I really don't remember very much," Percival said, and Howl knew that now he was telling the truth. He picked the guitar up and tuned it. It sounded nicer in minutes-no, seconds. Percival strummed it.

"My sorrow revealed," Howl said pathetically. "I was born an unmusical Welshman. Did you tell Sophie all of it? Or do you really know what the Witch was trying to find out?" He looked at Percival piercingly.

"She wanted to know about Wales," Percival said.

"I thought that was it," Howl said soberly. "Ah, well." He walked into the bathroom and spent the next two hours making himself look perfect. When he came out, the faded patch on his suit was fixed, and his hair looked white against the glossy blackness of his suit. "I may be back quite late," he told Michael.

Calcifer bobbed up from his logs, saw Sophie's thunderous glare, bobbed back down.

"It's going to be Midsummer Day after midnight, and the Witch may well try something. So keep all the defenses up, and remember all I told you, please."

"All right," Michael said, putting the steaming remains of his rag in the sink. He had been trying to clean up the weed killer.

Howl turned to Percival. "I think I know what's happened to you," he said. "It's going to be a fair job sorting you out, but I'll have a go tomorrow after I get back." It was eight in the evening. "Sophie are you still not talking to me?" he asked miserably.

"NO!" Sophie snarled.

Howl sighed and went out to Wales.

**YAYYYYYY**

**SOPHIE TRIED TO KILL HOWL!**

**Oh wait, that's not good. :D**


	17. In which Howl gets drunk

**Meh! Hi, all of you. **

**So there's two more chapters to go, and I hope that you all like them. The next chapter is going to be pretty short, but most of it is going to be agony for howl. Poor Howl. **

**As I promised, Michael is appearing in my interview. So: Hi!**

**Me: Hello. **

**Michael: Hi.**

**Me: So, how you like the story?**

**Michael: I seem like a scared little boy. I'm fifteen!**

**Me: Ooh. Sorry about that.**

**Michael: But other then that, I'm having fun. **

**Me: Yay! So, we asked everyone else this: Do Sophie and Howl like each other?**

**Michael: Yes!**

**Me: YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

**The dialogue is DWJ's. ENJOY!**

Howl was freaking out.

The spell, no wait, curse, was catching up, and he had no idea what to do.

So he did what any grown man would do in the middle of a crisis.

He drank.

Three wine bottles full.

Of course, before he did, he decided that Sophie should see her family. So he went to Market Chipping and made Fanny decide to visit the new occupants of an old mansion. Then he went to Lettie's house and told her that Sophie was in the old mansion. Then the other Lettie.

When he came back, he made such a noise that Sophie bolted up into her cubbyhole. If he was sober, then he would be mortified at the way that he had been acting, but since he was drunk and proud of it, he wasn't exactly clear about things.

"They think so much about me that they always splay without me!" Howl bellowed out, and Sophie sighed in relief from her cubbyhole. Howl fell over the chair and caught his foot in the stood so it shot across the room. After that, he tried to go upstairs through the broom cupboard, was confused, and then went through the yard to upstairs, which, of course, was not right. Finally, he discovered the stairs-all except for the bottom one. The whole castle shook when he fell on them on his face.

"What on earth is the matter, and why are you making such a noise?" Sophie asked.

"Rugby club Reunion," Howl lied with a thick dignity. "Didn't know that I used to fly up my wing for my university, did you, Mrs. Nose?" he questioned her, falling flat on his face at the the middle of the stairs.

"If you were trying to fly, you must have forgotten how to," Sophie said crisply.

"I was born to straight sights," Howl said, leaning unsteadily on the staircase. "Things invisible to see." The drunker he had got, the more had come clear to him. Of course, part of his mind was mentally scolding him for getting drunk-or was that Calcifer? "And I was just on my way to bed when you interrupted me. I know where all the past years are and who cleft the Devil's foot."

"Oh do you now?" Sophie asked tartly and Howl gave a drunken laugh.

"Go to bed, you fool," said Calcifer sleepily. "You're drunk."

"Who me?" Howl asked, feeling thickly indignant. "I assure you, my friends. I am cone sold stober." He got up and stalked upstairs, feeling for the wall to make sure that the floor didn't escape him. However, his bedroom door did. "What a lie that was!" he said, walking into a wall and smashing his pinky. "My shining dishonesty will be the salvation of me." He walked into the wall several more times, convinced that the door was invisible, courtesy of Sophie, when he finally found his door. He crashed his way through that. Then his bed eluded him. "My bed is dodging me like a game of dodgeball!"

He finally found his bed and snored.

His dreams were filled with dancing people and the words flowed through his head.

Sophie melted into his ginger haired mouse and his eyes fluttered. So that's who Sophie was. His mouse! How exciting. Too bad Sophie and the mouse did not have the same personality. But they certainly looked the same in his dream.

Miss Angorian entered his dream and slapped him. His bottom lip split open.

Presently, Howl realized that he, in fact, had been acting like a total idiot when he was drunk. In his sleep, he mentally chastened himself and rolled over.

In Howl's dreams, he was finally realizing who he truly loved. Never had there been a woman true and fair for him, and he had rode ten thousand days and nights just to find one. Yet, for the past few months, Sophie was there. They bickered, she cut up his suits, he exploited her, but yet he did not drive her out. Why not? Howl asked himself in his dreams. Perhaps it was true that he loved her...

Wait-No! Didn't everyone think that? Howl frowned in his sleep and snored again.

But what did it matter what he thought. He had never loved anyone in his whole life, and he wasn't about to start now. Sophie was an old lady, but when she was young, she must have been extraordinarily lovely and probably had her own swain. Howl's breathing hitched and he nearly woke up until he thought about something else.

What had Sophie said when he cast that listening charm? She had said that she refused to believe that she, herself, had been the one who was caught in that gray and scarlet suit. In his sleeping stupor, Howl reached out to the gray and scarlet suit mentally and realized that Sophie had accidentally stitched a charm into it, unmeaningly. That was not good. But then...the charm was to draw ladies in.

Howl gave a small chuckle in his dream. So Sophie refused to believe that she was in love with him. How unsurprising. And how...elated he seemed to feel. Howl sighed in his sleep.

"HOWL!" Someone roared his name loudly. "_HOWL!_ Howell Jenkins, the Witch has found your sister's family."

Howl jumped out of bed with two thumps and shoved the door open. He raced downstairs, nearly booting Lettie and Percival, who both dove out of his way. When had they got there? Ms. Smith, or Sophie's mother gave a scream and Howl caught a sight of himself in Sophie's large eyes. He agreed with Ms. Smith. He looked like a mess. "Got me on my weak flank, blast her!" he yelled, shooting across the room in a blur of black. "I was afraid she would! Thanks, Calcifer!"

He shoved Ms. Smith aside and wrenched the door opened black down. He raced across to Megan's house, where he saw that the family was slowly being drawn. The Witch, in fire colored robes, saw him and made a grab for Mari, but she was too far away. Howl reached Mari and threw her at Megan, who caught her with a sigh of relief. The Witch ran.

"Blast you!" Howl shouted at Fiara and shot after her like a dog after a cat. He raced after her, farther into the woods, and wondered why she did not use magic. It was only until he reached her (about half an hour later) and realized that she was a projection did he realize that Miss Angorian had used his affection for Sophie (which he had realized only a few minutes earlier in his sleep) against him. The projection smiled at him.

"I see that you have fallen for my projection," the projection said. "Too bad that by now, Sophie is here."

Howl sent a bolt of magic through the projection, and it disappeared. He clapped his hands together and sent himself to the Witch of the Waste's castle. This took a lot of concentration, but he was so worried that it took no effort at all.

Howl stumbled slightly as he appeared outside the castle. He raced in and saw Sophie fighting her way free from a sticky orange goo that pinned to a pillar and then saw a magic cloud that enveloped the scarecrow and the Witch. For a minute, he just stood there, arms folded, watching the fight progress and thinking about what to do. Finally, he remembered the word and raised his hands. Above the screams of the witch and the booms as the scarecrow fought eagerly, Howl shouted a word of power that Mrs. Pentstemmon had taught him a long time ago.

A long roll of thunder boomed across the room. The scarecrow and the Witch both jolted. Claps of sound rang around, bouncing off the pillars. Echo after echo rang, and each echo took away a bit of the magic cloud with it. When it had become a thin haze, the Witch started to fold in on herself, and then fell into a small heap. Howl and the scarecrow stared at each other thoughtfully over the pile of bones that was all left of the Wtich.

"No, my friend," Howl said to the scarecrow as it pushed the bones around, looking for the Witch's heart. "No, you won't find her heart there. Her fire demon will have got that. I think it's had the upper hand of her for a long time now. Sad, really. I think the rest of what you were looking for is over here." He walked over to Sophie to see that she was arranging a shawl on the leftovers of Prince Justin and Wizard Suliman. "Typical!" he said. "I break my neck to get here and I find you peacefully tidying up!"

"I came for Miss Angorian," Sophie tried to explain, but Howl interrupted her.

"And I thought that if I arranged for your family to visit you, it would keep you quiet for once!" said Howl disgustedly. "But no-"

Here, the scarecrow hopped in front of Sophie. "I was sent by Wizard Suliman," it said. "I was guarding the bushes from the birds of the Waste when the Witch caught him. He cast all of his magic that he could spare on me, and ordered me to come to his rescue. But the Witch had taken him to pieces by then, and the pieces were in various places. It has been a hard task. If you had not come and talked to me to life again, I would have failed."

Howl looked at the scarecrow and Sophie, feeling rather confused, but Sophie was nodding, apparently understanding why the scarecrow was telling her all of that. "So when Prince Justin ordered finding spells, they must have kept on pointing to you," she said thoughtfully. "Why was that?" She retrieved her stick and Howl narrowed his eyes at it. Sure enough, Sophie had talked it to life.

"To me or his skull," said the scarecrow. "Between us, we are the best part of him."

Howl stifled a laugh.

"And Percival is made of Wizard Suliman and Prince Justin?" Sophie asked.

The scarecrow nodded and explained some more.

"Bring that body with you back to the castle," Howl said. "I'll sort you out there. Sophie and I have to get back to the castle before the fire demon finds a way into getting inside of my defenses." He grabbed Sophie by the wrist. "Where are those seven league boots?"

Sophie tugged back. "But Miss Angorian-"

Howl felt annoyed. "Don't you understand? Miss Angorian _is_ the fire demon! If it gets inside of the castle, then Calcifer's had it, and so've I!"

Sophie put a hand over her mouth. "I knew I made a mess of it!" she said, blaming herself apparently. "It's been inside twice already! But she-it-went out."

"Oh lord," Howl groaned. This completely blew away all of his calculations. "Did it touch anything?"

"The guitar."

"Then it's still in there," Howl said. "Come on!" he pulled at Sophie and raised a wind. Wind leapt up, whistling, and then stormed. By that time, they were running in a sort of slow motion lope. The ground sped under them.

"It's not Calcifer's fault!" Sophie yelled. "I told him not to say."

"He wouldn't anyway!" Howl yelled. "I knew he'd never give away a fellow fire demon! He was always my weakest flank!"

"I thought Wales was!" Sophie screamed.

"NO! I left that deliberately! I knew I'd be angry enough to stop her if she tried anything there. I had to leave her an opening, see? The only chance I had at coming at Prince Justin was to use that curse she'd put on me to get near _her_."

"So you were going to rescue the Prince!" Sophie exclaimed, looking very surprised. "Why did you pretend to run away? To deceive the Witch?"

"Not likely!" Howl yelled. "I'm a coward! Only way I can do something this frightening is to tell myself I'm _not_ doing it!"

The conversation continued like this for a long time until they reached the flower place.

"Michael!" Howl yelled.

"It wasn't me who let the scarecrow in!" Michael said guiltily.

Howl dived at the guitar, but before he could reach it, it exploded, showering with a melodious _boom. _Miss Angorian was suddenly standing there, and Howl scowled. "Your witch is dead," he told her.

"Isn't that too bad!" Miss Angorian said, looking unconcerned. "Now I can make myself a new human who will be much better. The curse is fulfilled. I can lay hands on your heart now." She reached down into the grate and plucked Calcifer out of it. He wobbled on top of her fist, looking terrified. "Nobody move," Miss Angorian said warningly.

"Help!" Calcifer said weakly.

"Nobody can help you," Miss Angorian said threateningly. "You are going to help me control my new human. Let me show you. I only have to tighten my grip." She squeezed her hand and Howl screamed. Everything went black.

**Ooh, a cliffhanger, huh?**

**See you soon!**


	18. In which all succeeds

**No interview today!**

**ONE MORE CHAPTER LEFT!**

**AHHHHH!**

**REVIEW PLZ!**

Pain.

Howl breathed in and out. Dark lights flashed in his head and he felt life slipping away from him.

No! He reached out and grasped it firmly.

He did not seem to know anything.

A blue fire flashed in front of him. An old lady with a curse on her. A young boy.

Howl strived to remember their names.

Calcifer. The name leapt out at him and he gave a shudder.

His empty chest hurt.

He took another breath.

Noises were coming to him, a babble to shrieks. It hurt to breathe.

Perhaps he should stop.

Howl took another shuddering breath. What was there to live for?

Michael. Sophie. Mari. The names danced around in his head. They were what he lived for.

Howl breathed.

Megan. Gareth. Neil. Coraline. All of the names fluttered around in his head like delicate butterflies, prancing around.

His chest was hurting awfully.

Philip. Ingary.

Howl suddenly was at rest with himself. I wonder, he thought to himself in a curious way, what is happening right now? He could still hear the muffled shrieks and cries as he clung to life.

A memory flashed in his mind. Chasing after Calcifer in seven league boots, he had offered his heart to keep the demon alive.

Dancing with Sophie in a dream. Howl wondered bleakly if he would ever be able to dance with her.

His chest hurt even more.

A voice popped out at him. "Well, here goes," said an anxious female voice. "Go in!" it ordered with a stubbornness equal to Sophie's. But it was too young and melodious to be Sophie's. "Get in there and work!" Pain flashed into Howl's eyes again as something was pushed into him.

Ouch! Howl thought to himself. Something pushed into his chest and began thumping thunderously. Howl groaned and rolled over. "Hell's teeth!" he cursed. "I've got a hangover!" He looked up and saw a delicate young woman with large green-blue eyes and reddish gold hair that curled around her face in loose waves.

"No, you hit your head on the floor," she said in a very Sophie-like voice.

"I can't stay," Howl groaned. Where was Sophie? "I've got to rescue that fool Sophie."

"I'm here!" the young and lovely woman said, shaking his shoulder. Her dress was a size too big for her and slipped a little on her shoulders. "But so is Miss Angorian! Get up and do something about her! And quickly."

She was most definitely Sophie.

Howl looked up and stood up in a hurry. He spoke another word and wrenched the Witch's heart from Miss Angorian. Plaster fell from the ceiling. A stick that was beating Miss Angorian ruthlessly disappeared; he couldn't handle that. It was too powerful. Sophie's work, he thought to himself and stepped back with a small black thing in his hand. It was the color of a cinder, except it was a heart. Miss Angorian whined like a wet fire and held out her arms imploringly. Sophie glared at her.

"I'm afraid not," Howl said, unimpressed. "You've had your time." He stole a look at Sophie and knew, at once, it was Sophie. She had the same determined flash in her eyes and the same tilt to her chin and declared that she was going to get her way anytime, anywhere. Her arms were folded and she was glaring daggers at Miss Angorian. "By the look of this, you were trying to get a new heart too. You were going to take my heart and let Calcifer die, weren't you?" He held the black thing, which was dead in his hands, and pushed. The heart was so hard that it crumbled to black sand, then became black soot, and nothing. Miss Angorian screamed and faded away. When Howl opened his hands, which were empty, Miss Angorian was gone.

Another thing happened. When Howl killed Miss Angorian, who was still holding up the Witch's old spells, the scarecrow disappeared as the spells lifted. Instead, there were two tall men standing in the doorway. Prince Justin and Wizard Suliman. But instead, Howl and Sophie were just looking at each other. "Gray doesn't really suit you," Howl said to Sophie, who was also his little gray mouse. "I thought that when I first saw you."

"Calcifer's gone," Sophie said. "I had to break your contract."

Howl felt a bit sad, but knew that it would've happened. "We were both hoping that you would," he said. "Neither of us wanted to end up like the Witch and Miss Lily Angorian. Would you call your hair ginger?" he asked, looking at the reddish strands.

"Red gold," Sophie said, smirking in the way only Sophie could. Howl's heart lifted. "Unlike some people's, it's natural."

Howl nearly laughed. That was typical Sophie. "I've never seen why people put such value on things being natural," said Howl, and Sophie smiled brightly.

If either of them had any attention to spare, they would have seen that Prince Justin and Wizard Suliman were shaking hands. "I'd better get back to my brother," Prince Justin said ruefully. He walked up to Mrs. Smith, Sophie's mother, and bowed. "Am I addressing the lady of this house?"

"Er, not really," Mrs. Smith said. "The lady of the house is Sophie."

"Or will be shortly," Mrs. Fairfax said with a big smile.

If Howl had been watching everyone else, he would have seen Wizard Suliman talk to Lettie. "It seemed to be the Prince's memory I had of you, and not my own at all," he said.

"That's alright," Lettie said.

"Would you let me take you on at a pupil-_at least_?" Wizard Suliman asked. Howl's former love turned red at that.

"I think we ought to live happily ever after," Howl said thoughtfully to Sophie. It seemed to be the right time and right place to say it, in the middle of a moving castle with his love in his arms. "It should be hair-raising," he added.

"And you'll exploit me," Sophie said with a funny little smile on her face.

"And you'll cut up all my suits to teach me."

Everyone was tugging at their sleeves. But Howl and Sophie had only eyes for each other.

"Sophie, I think this gentleman is a prince," Mrs. Smith said, and everyone else clamored in with their bit of information.

But by that time, Sophie and Howl were holding hands and smiling hand, smiling and smiling, quite unable to stop.

"Don't stop me now," Howl said. "I only did this for the money."

"Liar!" Sophie accused.

"I said, Calcifer's come back!" Michael yelled.

That got Howl's attention and Sophie's too. The familiar blue teardrop was hovering in the chimney.

"You didn't have to do that," Howl said.

"I don't mind," Calcifer said. "As long as I can go out whenever I want. Beside, it's raining outside in Market Chipping."


	19. Epilogue

**As I promised, here is the epilogue. **

**I love you all!**

A few weeks later, the King of Ingary held a ball in the honor of his found brother and Wizard Suliman. And Howl, Sophie, Michael and Calcifer were invited.

"Wow!" Michael said when he came in. He was wearing the same rich blue suit that Howl bought him a long time ago.

The ballroom had thousands of candles twinkling everywhere, and it was at night. Golden streamers draped across the walls, and the roof was made of glass, so they could see the night sky clearly.

Howl and Sophie were going to get married in two months. Mrs. Smith thought that it was a little forward of them, but then Sophie had pointed out that Mrs. Smith herself met Mr. Smith and married him in a week, and Sophie had been with Howl for more than two months. After that, everyone agreed.

Coraline and Philip laughed when Howl told them.

"So you're finally getting married?" Philip asked.

Coraline laughed even more. "And you got your heart back!"

Howl had glared at them. "I have no idea what you two find so funny about this."

Instead, Coraline and Philip laughed even more. Coraline gave Philip an appraising look. "Are you married?" she asked.

Philip shook his head. "Are you?"

Coraline shook her head.

Howl rolled his eye. "I'm going to leave you two alone."

Fiara was dead. Miss Angorian was dead. But along with those two deaths, which Howl rejoiced, Mrs. Pentstemmon was dead.

Which left a hole in his heart.

But then Sophie filled up that hole, with her laughter that filled up the brightness of the clean moving castle, and her smile. Michael found out that his Lettie's name was Martha and didn't care. He loved her anyway. Lettie was slowly falling in love with Wizard Suliman. All was good.

Except for one thing. Howl was thinking.

As another song played, he swept Sophie out onto the dance floor. He had gotten a new suit, his gold one with silver insets that Sophie insisted that he only wear for fancy occasions, or she'll cut it up.

The song was a fast jig, and they went outside onto the balcony to relax, punch in their hands. Ever since Howl had gotten drunk, he hadn't touched a wine glass. He realized that Sophie had actually a small nose, but she was still nosy. He laughed.

"What's so funny?" Sophie asked, turning to him with a scowl. She was wearing a blue-green dress that swept to her feet with gossamer touches. Long sleeves that Howl insisted she wear swept to her waist and her long reddish hair was gold in the moonlight. Howl thought that his looked rather white.

"Nothing, it's just funny to see you as a young woman again," Howl said. "You look a lot nicer."

Sophie narrowed her eyes at him. "I don't know whether to take that as a compliment, or an insult."

"Compliment," Howl said quickly. Sophie was still staring at him an inch away. Here was his chance. "You know, there's something I've been wanting to do ever since we've gotten engaged."

Sophie narrowed her eyes even more. "And what was that?"

Howl swept her up into a kiss, nearly lifting her out of her shoes. Her eyes went wide, and then she relaxed into him and returned it fully. The camera pans out into the silver moon, and it winks at it.

**THE END!**

**Yeah, I decided to leave them at the ball kissing. Besides. It was making me a little edgy to write about romance, but I hope you guys enjoy it. **

**I've also decided to write Castle in the Air and House of Many Ways from Howl's point of view, but those are going to be a bit harder, so I'm taking a break. I promise to get the first chapter of Castle in the air by at least October. **

**What a rush! I managed to write it in six? days! Thanks to all of you who reviewed and liked my story! I dearly hope that there will be more in the future. (I said I dearly hope.) That's to reviewed currently-**

**3blue3moon3,**

**Leena Lionheart**

**Believeindreams**

**and**

**Johanna Marie**

**Yeah. Four people. But they bolstered me with enough courage to write more!**

**I love you guys!**

**Peace out.**

**Me. **

**Sandi.**

**COUGH COUGH**

**HACK HACK**


	20. Author's Note

**Author's Note:**

**Yes, yes, this is not a chapter. Sorry. But, the sequel is now up! Please check it out...if you want.**

**Love,**

**Me.**


End file.
